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JOURNAL
of

EARLY SOUTHERN
DECORATIVE ARTS

November, 1990

Volume XVI, Number 2

The Museum of Early Southern

Decorative Arts

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is published in February and August. Other privileges include notification of the classes
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The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts is owned and operated by Old Salem, Inc.,
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purpose of collecting, preserving, documenting and researching representative examples of southern
decorative arts and craftsmanship from the 1600s to 1820. The Museum exhibits its collection for
public interest and study.

For further information, please write to MESDA, Box 10310, Salem Station, Winston-Salem,
North Carolina 27108. Telephone (919) 721-7360.

JOURNAL

EARLY SOUTHERN
DECORATIVE ARTS

November, 1990

Volume XVI, Number 2

Published twice yearly in

May and November by

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

Printed by Hall Printing Company
High Point, North Carolina

Contents

The Changing York County, South Carolina,
Tombstone Business, H 50-1850

Wade B. Fairey

''The First Effort of an Infant Hand":
An Introduction to Virginia Schoolgirl
Embroideries, 1742-1850

KiMBERLY A. Smith

111

Figure 1. Map of York District, South Carolina, from Robert Mills, Atlas of the State
of South-Carolina, 1825. MESDA Research File (MRF)S-15, 133- Ebenezer Presbyteri-
an Church (A) and Bethesda Presbyterian Church (B) are shown on this map.

4/' •'.A.

I, l>

Figure 2. Map of Chester District, South Carolina, from Robert Mills, Atlas of the
State of South-Carolina, 1825. MRFS-13,134. Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church
(A) is shoivn on this map.

MESDA

The Changing York County, South Carolina,
Tombstone Business, 1750-1850.

W\DE B. FAIREY

In the mid-eighteenth century a number of inhabitants from
Scottish (Scots-Irish), Welsh, English, German, and Huguenot eth-
nic groups began populating the York County, South Carolina, area
(fig. 1). Although the period marked the beginning of the American
cultural melting pot, religious and social differences still existed be-
tween these groups. Each maintained close ties to old work tradi-
tions. For example, the Scots-Irish, the predominant group, began
building churches to perpetuate their beliefs shortly after their ar-
rival in the piedmont region, and the first established churches in
the area were therefore Presbyterian. Waxhaw Presbyterian Church
and Fishing Creek Presbyterian Church in adjacent Lancaster and
Chester counties (fig. 2), respectively were organized in the early
1750s, and Bethel Presbyterian Church in York County was formal-
ly established in 1764.

In conjunction with the erection of community churches was
the walling off of cemeteries, and tombstones began dotting the
Presbyterian cemeteries in the 1750s. These tombstones mani-
fested traditional designs, for tombstone art probably was one of
the Scots-Irish settlers' strongest cultural links to their homelands.
For most of the area's inhabitants, however, erecting a tombstone in
that period was far removed from the rigors of everyday life. Most
still lived in dirt floor cabins, made their own cloth, and went
unwashed. The small number of extant eighteenth-century York
County tombstones is a reflection on the majority of the popula-
tion's inability to purchase them. Besides the cost of carving, there
was a hauling fee and other funeral costs. Therefore, for those few

November, 1990 1

people who could erect a tombstone, it became a statement of eco-
nomic and social superiority, and the few examples of York County
tombstones that remain from that period read like a guide to the
area's social circles. They also demonstrate a clear pattern of associ-
ation with organized religion.

Figure 3- James White tombstone, attributed to Hugh Kelsey, Fishing Creek Pres-
byterian Church, Chester County, 9 May 1774. HOA 22 ", WOA 17 1/4 ".

MESDA

Tombstones became more important religious and social sym-
bols in York County in the late eighteenth century, marking burial
sites, giving solace to loved ones, and heralding the spiritual charac-
ters of the deceased. Their erection also was a lasting tribute to the
social and religious standings of those memorialized. James White's
1774 tombstone (fig. 3) at Fishing Creek Church marked the begin-
ning of an increased demand for tombstones that served the above
functions.

The proliferation of tombstones in York County during the late
eighteenth century can be attributed to a higher death rate. This was
a direct result of an influx of settlers between 1763 and 1780. To ful-
fill the demand, three local sources developed in the region. Hugh
Kelsey, Samuel Watson, and the Bigham family began dominating
the tombstone business in the last quarter of the eighteenth century,
and they executed most of the local tombstones prior to 1820. Each
of these carvers manifested distinguishing carving features, and
different styles and images defined their separate contributions.
Both Kelsey and Watson were associated with their own communi-
ties and did little commercial carving. Their work was closely tied
to their immediate families and churches. However, the Bigham
family carvers of adjacent Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, es-
tablished themselves as premier commercial carvers. Hundreds of
their fine stones may be found throughout the United States.

The first of the local carvers to make a significant contribution to
tombstone art and development in the region was Hugh Kelsey
(1754-1817). The son of Robert Kelsey, Sr. (1715-1800), a Scots-Irish
immigrant, Hugh settled with his family in Chester County It is un-
clear how he learned his trade, but it is possible that he was in-
fluenced by members of his own artisan family. Samuel Kelsey, a
Chester County blacksmith and Hugh's kinsman, also lived near
Fishing Creek Church. During the southern campaign of the Ameri-
can Revolution, Samuel reported that in July 1780 he "was robbed
of everything and the swords he had been manufacturing were car-
ried off" by the British.'

Hugh Kelsey 's work as a tombstone carver began before the
American Revolution and continued until his death in 1817,
although during the war he also supplied the local militia with hol-
sters, sword scabbards, waist belts, and capes. ^ Most of his tomb-
stones can be found at Fishing Creek Church. His earliest
attributable piece probably was the circa 1774 James White tomb-
stone with its wonderful images of "noble man," vines, and
rosettes. Kelsey 's tombstones are characterized by the thick, squat

November, 1990 3

Figure 4. Mary Brown tombstone, attributed to Hugh Kelsey, Fishing Creek Pres-
byterian Church, Chester County, 1779- HOA 25 1/2 ", WOA 18 1/4 ".

form demonstrated by Mary Brown's stone (fig. 4) of 1779. Kelsey
represented her life with large rosettes, encircling vines, and, a bird,
resembling a hummingbird, within a small branch atop the stone.
Only his earliest stones feature these designs; by the nineteenth
century his carvings had became far less detailed. In 1808, the year
he executed Thomas Gill's tombstone (fig. 5) no expression of his
eighteenth-century imagery remained. The stone, which cost the
Gill estate 16, is devoid of decoration. ^

MESDA

Figure 5. Thomas Gill tombstone, attributed to Hugh Kelsey, Fishing Creek Pres-
byterian Church, Chester County, 29 September 1808. HOA 15 3/4", WOA 16".

Kelsey died in 1817. His estate inventory listed "one lot of stone
cutting tools" valued at $2.01 and $25 worth of assorted tomb-
stones in various stages of completion.'' It would have been help-
ful if this record had given the source of his stone and a reference
to his knowledge of eighteenth-century designs. However, it does
indicate that Kelsey was working with rough stones and not pre-cut
forms. His headstones contribute toward the clarification of popu-
lar images acceptable to the local population and are important
links to their Scottish heritage.

November, 1990

Figure 6. Hannah Watson headstone, by Samuel Watson, Beersheba Presbyterian
Church. York County 13 August n90. HOA 30 1/2 ".- WOA 15 3/4 ".

Bridging the gap between Hugh Kelsey's perpetuation of Scottish
traditions and the commercialization of early nineteenth-century
carvers were the carvings of Samuel Watson of York County Unfor-
tunately, very little information on Watson's life is available. He can-
not be considered a professional stone carver, for the few extant
examples of his work are not polished and exhibit only a small
degree of influence from outside the York County area. The tomb-
stones attributed to Watson differ significantly from Kelsey's; they
are characterized by less bulk and much stronger vertical lines.
Many have high, sharp shoulders with round bead molding com-
pleting their edges. A 1790 tombstone (fig. 6) found at Beersheba

MESDA

Figure 7. Hannah Watson footstone, signed by Samuel Watson. HOA 18". WOA
9 1/4 ".

Presbyterian Church, signed at the foot by Watson (fig. 7) and
carved for his mother Hannah, features a primitive portrait sur-
rounded by stars.

Watson's designs and workmanship appear to have been in-
fluenced by factors in his own community, particularly the work of
the Bigham family This is demonstrated by his use of slate as a carv-
ing medium and the application of images similar to those of
Bigham headstones. The American eagle on Amarandahe Fullton's
stone (fig. 8) for example, seems to be a poor copy of the Bigham's

November, 1990

■>

W' ••■1: '9.' >•''■'

Figure 8. Amarandahe Fidlton tombstone, attributed to Samuel Watson. Ebenezer
Presbyterian Church. Rock Hill, [date buried]. HOA 25 ", WOA 22 1/2 ". That Watson
was influenced by the Bigham family of carvers is evident in the similarity between
this stone and that of Elisabeth Adams (fig. 10).

popular motif. Its detail is less clean, the proportions less appealing,
and its appearance is more like that of a chicken than an eagle.

The Bigham family carvers of Steele Creek, Mecklenburg County,
North Carolina, were influential in shaping the York County tomb-
stone traditions of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth cen-
turies. Evidence establishing that at least six different carvers were
cutting gravestones in the Bigham workshop has been found in var-
ious wills and legal documents. The oldest was Samuel Bigham, Sr.,

MESDA

-., ill*.

K^emoryof

AtEX^'' UOVE

A loverof mankind';!/
afr.'^ To Hi*: counTiy
v/ho depaTedrhic life
^/lH re H, ]7ii4l\<Ae d <::f:Yp?

'■nit- '^''' '^''^''' ^^""^ '''*"' ^^'^ hrMryrfi 'y)\

ti"

Figure 'J. Alexander Love tombstone, attributed to tbe Bigham family. Bethesda
Presbyterian Church, York County, March 1784. HOA 24", WOA 19 5/4". Alexander
Love was an early political leader in York County, tie was elected to the Second
Provincial Congress in 17~'5.

who arrived with his wife in Mecklenburg County during the
1760s. Samuel Bigham, Jr., probably was the shop's most skilled ar-
tisan; he was proud enough of his abilities to punctuate his signa-
ture on legal documents with the initials s. c. for stone cutter.^

Examples of the Bighams' work can be found throughout most
of York County's nineteenth-century burial sites. It is of high qual-
ity, exhibiting a wide variety of designs and styles. Sharp edging
(fig. 9), clear images, and the use of a number of popular motifs

November, 1990

U^A-

M.S. -ii^^". OR
f:LISABETW APAMS

■Who died Nov.idl'[soK
A^^ed. /3.Ycar5 ^1.4. nioiinths,

■

/..^LorJ 1 comrailviiiy lotil U^ lb

c c

Accopi Ihe Incr-^e

cl Iriill,

\ n cl vvM [ di mv ■ 1 ieepi n p' ^: lull .

p,ng

Figure 10. Elisabeth Adams tombstone, attributed to the Bigham family. Bethel
Presbyterian Church. Chester County 10 November 1801. HOA 25 ". WOA 16 1/2 ".

reflect a sophistication lacking in the work of Kelsey and Watson
and place the Bighams in the category of professional carvers. Their
carvings also capture in stone a point in America's past when eth-
nic origins were being supplanted by an emerging sense of national
identity The gravemarkers they created from 1750 to 1780 reflect
the Bighams' northern Irish roots; those carved from the American
Revolution until 1815 incorporated distinctly American symbols.''

MESDA

Figure 11. Hugh Berry tombstone, attributed to the Bigham family. Bethel Pres-
byterian Church, Chester County, jO August 1802. HOA 24 ", WOA 19 3/4 ".

Images used by the Bighams include coats of arms, animals, winged
death heads, doves of peace, floral designs, all-seeing eyes, and
American eagles (fig. 10). Early nineteenth-century Bigham carvings
also include various combinations of geometric fan motifs and in-
lay lines (fig. 11). Other common Bigham traits are back carving,
chamfered corners, and beaded edging.

November, 1990

Although leading families in Chester, Lancaster, and York coun-
ties purchased large quantities of tombstones from the Bighams
well into the nineteenth century, their significant status as the area's
leading carvers eventually foundered in the 1820s. Several factors
were responsible for this erosion of their hold on the local tomb-
stone business. Cultural differences became less distinct in the
second quarter of the nineteenth century as members of various
ethnic groups merged, creating a new social order and resulting in
an unconscious simplification of norms that united much of the
area's society. The economic changes that a new agrarian system —
cotton production — created brought different patterns of social
and religious behavior as a new class of farmers, merchants, and ar-
tisans emerged in the South Carolina Backcountry. These fledgling
members of the middle class then became interested in the social
order and community responsibility that came with church mem-
bership. According to Dr. George C. Rogers, Jr., the ranks of the
region's churchgoers swelled in the early nineteenth century: "In
1799 only eight percent of white adults in the Upcountry were
church members; by 1810 twenty-percent were church members."^
The travels of this new class also exposed them to urban tombstone
styles and funeral customs, and this awareness of style coupled with
the growth of church membership resulted in an increased demand
for headstones. A handsome tombstone became a popular symbol
of dignity and importance.

The Bigham family apparently was either unaware of or unpre-
pared for these changes, and as their business declined, brothers-
in-law John Caveny (1778-1853) and James Crawford (1775-1842) of
York County captured a majority of the tombstone business in the
early nineteenth century. These men ushered in a new era of tomb-
stone designs required by affluent planters and merchants. Their
carvings manifested only a few ties to the eighteenth-century carv-
ings of Kelsey, Watson, or the Bighams. Caveny 's two earliest head-
stones, for example, retain a few traditional images which he
combined with the nineteenth-century urban form. The earliest of
his extant stones (fig. 12) found at Bethel Presbyterian Church and
carved for James Jackson in 1807 features a winged death head that
is clearly out of place on the nineteenth-century form. John
McCall's stone (fig. 13) also executed in 1807 and signed by Caveny
is more elaborate, mixing Masonic symbols with a skull and cross-
bones and a traditional hour glass. These signed stones established
Caveny as an engraver and served as advertisements for his work.

12 MESDA

Figure 12. James Jackson tombstone signed by John Caveny. Bethel Presbyterian,
Chester County 1807. HOA 46", WOA 21 1/2".

■ i

^^-:.

.1/Vi^ ''^ ' tv » ^

Figure 12a. Detail of Jackson tombstone showing Caveny's mark. Caveny identi-
fied himself as an engraver for advertising purposes.

November, 1990

Figure 13- John McCall tombstone, signed by John Caveny, Bethesda Presbyterian
Church, York County 10 July 1807. HOA 50 5/4 ", WOA 18 1/4 ".

MESDA

In general, however, early nineteenth-century carvers made a
clean break from eighteenth-century conventions. Avon Neal
summed up the changes in the trade as follows: "Imaginative grave-
stone carving flourished ... to the early I800s; after that, the urn
and the willow became standard motifs, and the art declined rapid-
ly."« Most of Caveny s and all of Crawford's stones demonstrate their
knowledge of urban styles and changing norms. Such conformity
was also a reflection of the economic pressures wrought by com-
petition from urban, particularly Charleston, carving firms. York
County's earliest documented commercial tombstone, ordered for
Mary Feemster in 1776, was an oddity in its time, but by the second
decade of the nineteenth century, more local residents were turn-
ing to the use of commercial stones. This new market for urban
carving firms rapidly developed in York County and was responsi-
ble for the introduction of new styles, images, and business rela-
tionships. In 1818 T. W. Walker, a leading Charleston tombstone
carver, shipped the William Pettus family of York County a
357-pound tombstone. The stone cost the Pettus estate $41.65 plus
an $8.03 hauling charge.^ A headstone of local sandstone cut by
Crawford the same year for local militia leader Colonel Frederick
Hambright only cost $22, but apparently the local carvers' lower
prices had little effect on the demand for commercial stones in York
County. The Charleston firms owned by James Hall, T W. Walker,
and James Rowe all supplied stones to the area after 1810.'" Twenty
years later, Columbia stone cutters W. T White, Boyne and Sproul,
R. G. Brown, and Alex Brown also were shipping stones to York
County.

A few York County carving families managed to contend with the
city firms, mostly by following those trends set by their urban com-
petitors, stifling their own traditions and creativity, and serving
middle class clients who could not afford the stylish monuments
imported by the wealthy upper class. A community of profession-
al stone cutters grew up around the abundant granite sites near
Kings Mountain in the northern section of York County during the
nineteenth century. The Caveny, Crawford, Houser, Morrow, and
MuUinax families all worked these quarries for financial gain,
producing the majority of tombstones found in the region until the
mid-nineteenth century. These local quarries also were important
sources of material for carvers well into the nineteenth century.
Henry Houser (1756-1822) and his wife Jane built a stone house
about 1803 from sandstone quarried on their own property.' ' This
vein also ran through John Caveny 's property and the Crawfords'.

November, 1990 15

Figure 14. Eliza Lucinda McCall tombstone, signed by John Caveny, Bethesda Pres-
byterian Church, York County 20 October 1829. HOA 58", WOA 24 1/4". This stone
is an example of the changes in style wrought by urban competition. The masonic
symbols and skull and crossbones of earlier traditions found on John McCall's
stone (fig. 13} part of which is illustrated here, were replaced by the weeping wil-
low 22 years later

In 1842 James Crawford willed his sons "one half of my stone quar-
ry tract of land lying on part of Kings Mountain near the memori-
al hill called the Battleground and the crowbar between him and his
brother William for use of the quarry."'^

From this community John Caveny emerged as the leading tomb-
stone carver in York County in the 1820s, and his ability to accept
new styles (fig. 14) and adapt to changing situations kept him in

MESDA

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Figure 15. Hugh Cain tombstone, signed by John Caveny. Beersheba Presbyterian
Church, York County 25 June 1839- HOA 45 1/2", WOA 21 1/2".

f/^^z/rc 15(1. Detail oj l-igiire /_^, (.areny\ mark on Hugh Laiii.s .s/u/zt- resembles a
silversmith's stamp.

November, 1990

business until his deatii in 1853. In the 1830s he and his son Robert
C. Caveny (1808-90) introduced two unusual tombstone styles
demonstrated by stones carved for Hugh Cain in 1839 (fig. 15) and
Elias Carroll in 1843. The designs of these stones were drawn from
earlier models, and if they had been carved twenty years earlier
might have been more popular. For the most part, however, Cave-
ny s work after 1820 became far less imaginative (figs. 16, 17, 18, 19).
He adopted the high shoulder and tombstone profile used by his
urban competitors, but continued carving them from locally quar-
ried stone.

TO TJ-jk ^■

^l^iav^rliMl ihii \

. O l-'f r

1 .

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jtrr-oiioi' I

iti'T^fhhr Loirlj

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Figure 16. Robert Davison tombstone, signed by John Caveny, Bethesda Presbyteri-
an Church, York County 23 Oct. 1832. HOA 36 1/2 ", WOA 21 1/2 ".

MESDA

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^' ^ -^

Figure 17. Jonathan Sutton tombstone, by John Caveny. Beersheba Presbyterian
Church, York County 1838^ HOA J6 1/2", WOA 22 3/4". According to an estate
record, Caveny was paid Jor carving this stone.

November, 1990

Figure 18. Infant son of John and Mary Brown tombstone, signed by John Cave-
ny, Beersbeba Presbyterian Church, York County, 21 November 1836. HOA 35 ",
WOA 9 1/2 ".

MESDA

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. * j i jKj ilMfcfl

..,Jb^

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Figure 19- Elizabeth Davison tombstone, signed by John Caveny, Bethesda Pres-
byterian Church. York County 21 April 1843. HOA 42 1/2 ", WOA 20 1/4 ".

November, 1990

James Crawford also managed to attract a large business by con-
forming his work to that of his competitors. Hambright's stone, for
example, with its strong vertical silhouette, high shoulders, and half-
round pediment, is Crawford's version of a popular nineteenth-
century urban form. His sons Robert M. Crawford (1804-80) and
William N. Crawford (1808-94) entered the business in the early
1830s. The work of both (figs. 20, 21, 22, 23) exhibited a high
degree of imagination and good workmanship and brought about
a renewed, albeit fleeting, emphasis on creativity. Most of their
carvings were adaptations of such prevalent mid-nineteenth cen-
tury images as the weeping willow.

It was at this point, about 1840, that the commercial monument
business cornered the market. To stay in business many of the lo-
cal carvers restricted their prices and coordinated their work with
larger commercial firms by hiring themselves out as engravers. One
of the earliest examples of such a joint venture was John Currence's
1827 tombstone; John Caveny engraved the imported stone." ^ In
1832 Caveny was paid $10 for engraving a stone purchased in
Columbia.''' Robert C. Caveny also was an engraver. In 1830 he was
hired to engrave a commercial stone and earned $6.42 for his ef-
forts. The same estate paid the monument company $18 for the
stone and a hauling fee of $2.70.'5 The growing popularity of mar-
ble tombstones also contributed to the demand for engravers rather
than full carvers. By 1845 the use of marble was so widely accept-
ed that it had virtually supplanted other local tombstone materials
such as granite and sandstone. Tombstone engravers themselves
were even using marble for their own headstones. F. H. Morrow's
marble headstone, engraved by John Caveny, had the following
inscription: "Sacred to the memory of/Frederick H. Morrow/ an
ingenious mechanic/ in Monument work/ Who departed this life/
Feb. 24th 1845/ In the 39th year of his age."

One new carver did manage to confront the overwhelming de-
mand for commercial marble stones and introduce his carving tech-
niques in the 1840s. Martin MuUinax, who grew up in rural York
County, began carving stones from local material using his own in-
terpretations of weeping willow and eternal flame motifs. Tomb-
stones attributable to him can be located in outlying areas of York
County; however, few examples of his work have been found in
more populated sections. Mullinax's popularity was short-lived. By
1858 he had abandoned his carving career for the innkeeping
business and ownership of the Mullinax House in York.'^

22 MESDA

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tw^£

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Figure 20. Sarah A. Baniwell tombstone, by Robert M. Crawford. Bethel Presbyteri-
an. Clover 23 September 1820. HOA 26 'l/2", WOA 15 5/8".

November, 1990

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Figure 21. James Quinn tombstone, by Robert M. Crawford, Bethany Associated
Reformed Presbyterian Church, York County 24 June 1846. HOA 35 1/4", WOA 16".

By 1850 the standardization of cut marble stones had engulfed
the rural markets. These mid-nineteenth century stones, like their
eighteenth-century counterparts, emulated architecture, but they
were far less interesting. Most resembled public monuments on pri-
vate property, reflecting the impact of the Greek Revival and Gothic
styles. Obelisk tombstones also came into vogue. These factors
further isolated local carvers, as did the demand for raised tomb-
stone tablets rather than traditional upright stones. These tablets

MESDA

Figure 22. William Dickson tombstone, by William N. Crawford. Bethany Asso-
ciated Reformed Presbyterian Church, York County. 30 Dec. 1831. HOA 49", WOA
22 1/4 ".

November, 1990

\\ X c

Figure 23- Detail oj James Crawford tombstone, by William N. Crawford,
Bethany Associated Reformed Presbyterian Church. York County, 8fuly 1842. HOA

52 1/2 "", WOA 19 3/4 ". '

began appearing before 1850; however, William L. McConnell's
1850 example was the first documented in York County estate
records. It cost $47 and included the base and pillars provided by
Richard Hare of Yorkville, a local brick contractor who had entered
the monument business in 1846.'^ York County artisans did much
of the engraving on these tablets, but with little of the area's earli-
er carvers' imagination or creativity, which had virtually vanished
from the tombstone business by 1850.

MESDA

Figure 24. Nathaniel P. Kennedy tombstone, signed by Richard Hare. Beersheba
Presbyterian Church. York County. 14 May 1853. HOA 51 ". WOA 23 1/2 ".

November, 1990

Interestingly enough, more documented information about tiie
York County tombstone business and other funeral trappings is
available from written records in the two decades before 1850 than
any other earlier period. In the years preceding the 1820s, probate
papers rarely listed funeral costs as parts of estates settlements; in
the 1840s records of such expenses were common. William Quinns
1833 inventory was one of the first to have a separate entry for
funeral expenses, stating that his coffin trimmings cost $5.'^ In 1836
an estate record included the following notation: "$25.00 was re-
tained in hand for a tombstone and setting it up."'9 Such costs in-
creased dramatically after 1840. In 1839 "burial cloths" for N. M.
Folks 's funeral were valued at $6.31 1/4.^° In 1841 "coffin and trim-
mings" for Amos E. Moss cost $15, and an additional $9.41 was
spent on his burial clothing. By 1845 funeral trimmings were being
furnished to at least one estate for $20, and other expenses listed
were: "digging the grave" at 62 cents, preaching the funeral at $5,
and enclosing the grave for $5.12 1/2.^'

Apparently, by the mid-nineteenth century, no expense was
spared for a dignified and respectable funeral, and that included an
impressive headstone decorated with urns, willows (fig. 24), and
eternal flames. Local carvers either were reduced to mere engrav-
ers, like the Cavenys and the Crawfords with little, if any input into
the creation of these commercial monument, or they had left the
business altogether like Mullinax. A representative entry from an
1842 York County probate record sums up the small role left to lo-
cal carvers in the tombstone business at that time: Robert Caveny
was paid $5.70 for "engraving the headstone," Boyne and McKen-
zie charged $11 for supplying the headstone, and Thomas H. Smith
was paid $10 for the coffin."

Wade Fairey is the Director of Historic Brattonsville in McConnells, South
Carolina.

28 MESDA

FOOTNOTES

1. Elizabeth F. Ellet, Women in the American Revolution, 4th ed. (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1975-6),
3:284.

2. Bobby S. Moss, Roster of South Carolina Patriots in the American Revolution (Baltimore,
1983), 525.

3. Probate Judge Records, File 21, Pk. 318, 1812, Chester County, South Carolina.

4. Ibid., File 33, Pk. 500, 1817

5. Edward W. Clark, "The Bigham Carvers of the Carolina Piedmont: Stone Images of an
Emerging Sense of American Identity," in R. E. Meyers, ed.. Cemetery and Grave Markers
(Ann Arbor, Mich., 1988), 37

6. Ibid, 32.

7. George C. Rogers, "Who is a South Carolinian?" South Carolina Historical Magazine 89,
no. 1 (Jan. 1988): 7 Rogers cites Lacy Ford as the source of these statistics.

8. Avon Neal, "Gravestone Rubbing," Americana Magazine (Sept. 1974); 16.

9. Probate Records, File 35/1464, 1818, 336, York County, S. C.

10. Walker's tombstones were particularly popular in York County Apparently he and his work
were respected in Charleston, as well. When James Hall died in 1823, Walker was appointed
executor of his estate and identified as a stone cutter. Wills, No. 36, 1818-26, 850, Charleston
County.

1 1 . Edwin Vearss and M. Adderstein, Historic Structure Report. Houser House. Historical and
Archaeological Data (National Parks Service, 1974).

12. Probate Judge Records/ Wills, James Crawford, 1842, York County

13. Probate Records, File 13/ 550, 1827, 167 York County

14. Ibid, File 27/ 119, 1832, 1094.

15. Ibid, File 45/ 1119, 1830,632.

16. Yorkville Enquirer, l\]2n. 1858.

17. Probate Records, File 13/ 584, 1850, 53, York County

18. Ibid., File 35/ 1527 373.

19. Ibid., File 8/ 338, 1836.

20. Ibid., File 5/ 192, 1838,305.

21. Ibid., File 3/ 118, 1845, 198.

22. Ibid., File 71/ 3503, 1942, 179.

November, 1990 29

IHTBRIfAL IMFROVBMEHTS

Figure 1. A Map of the Internal Improvements of Virginia, by C. Crozet, engraved
by P. S. DuVal. Philadelphia. 1848. Dimensions not recorded. Museum of Early
Southern Decorative Arts, photograph by Wesley Stewart. Schoolgirl embroider-
ies from 59 Virginia counties and cities have been located. Except as noted, the ob-
jects illustrated in this article are in the collection of Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation, and the dimensions are of unframed pieces with height/length given
first. Photographs by Hans Lorenz.

MESDA

''The First Effort of an Infant Hand'':
An Introduction to Virginia Schoolgirl
Embro ideries, 1 742-1850

KimberlyA. Smith

Until recently, documented Virginia schoolgirl embroideries
were rare, and, like other southern decorative arts, few were
thought to exist. Over the years this apparent scarcity of surviving
southern and Virginia needlework has been attributed to several
different factors. The rural environment created by the plantation
system, as opposed to the more urban centers in the North, was be-
lieved to discourage the establishment and maintenance of needle-
work schools and teachers. The supposed laziness and indolence
of southern girls also were considered contributing factors to the
lack of southern needlework. Sally Wister, a young Philadelphian,
damaged the reputation of Virginia girls for two centuries when she
wrote in her journal in 1778 that Captain Alexander Spotswood
Dandridge, a Virginia visitor to her home, "observ'd my sampler,
which was in full view. Wish'd I would teach the Virginians some of
my needle wisdom; they were the laziest girls in the world."'

A hot, humid climate that was not conducive to working or
saving needlework has often been blamed for the sparseness of
southern examples. One period Williamsburg reference gives a
good indication of the difficulties of stitching needlework in the
warm, muggy weather. In August 1769 Anne Blair wrote her sister
about her ten-year-old daughter, Betsey Braxton, who was staying
with Anne for the summer. "She has finsh'd her work'd Tucker, but
the weather is so warm, that with all the pain s I can take with clean
hands, and so forth she cannot help dirtying it a little."^

November, 1990 31

Some pieces of needlework are thought to have been the casual-
ties of war, stolen by northern soldiers as they plundered and loot-
ed their way through the South. One such example is a sampler
begun in 1793 by Martha Carter Fitshugh of Chatham in Stafford
County. 5

Martha's sampler is a simple one recording family births, deaths,
and marriages. She died at the age of seven before finishing it, leav-
ing her work to be completed by another family member. Eventu-
ally the sampler passed into the possession of Martha's niece, Mrs.
Robert E. Lee. It was stolen when Union troops captured Arlington
House in 1861. In 1897 the sampler was recognized at the World's
Fair "in a case containing relics exhibited by the Essex Institute in
Salem, Massachusetts." Douglas H. Thomas, then editor of the Vir-
ginia Historical Magazine, wrote: "This sampler was no Doubt
'obtained' during the war by some of the 'visitors' to Virginia, and
if publication is made of the fact, it is possible the owner might be
found."'^ In 1979 the Essex Institute transferred the sampler to
Arlington House. ^

Despite these earlier theories, it is clear from period documents
that Virginia girls were working samplers and embroideries in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Newspapers contain numer-
ous advertisements by needlework teachers, stores advertised and
sold the necessary materials, and surviving letters and journals
describe the embroideries of girls and young women. More phys-
ical evidence of their work has also been found. In the past few
years, over 125 schoolgirl embroideries have been documented and
attributed to Virginia, and the research is still in its early stages.*^'
Spanning the years from 1742 to the mid-nineteenth century, sam-
plers and pictures have been located in fifty-nine Virginia counties
and cities (fig. 1). They were created by girls from the age of six to
young womanhood and demonstrate a variety of materials, stitches,
designs, and levels of skill. ^

Along with documentary sources such as diaries and letters,
examples of plain and decorative sewing are rare surviving arti-
facts that provide insight into the lives of young Virginia girls and
women during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Of all the
needlework done by girls, samplers are particularly key in bringing
us closer to understanding their world. Samplers provide significant
information about the environment in which they were created.
Details of a needleworker's life such as her name, age, and birth date
(fig. 2) appear on many Virginia samplers. Some even tell where the
needleworker lived and give information about her family. The

32 MESDA

V'v/X/^V'N/VVXAAA/yyyVNAAAAAA^

m IF ga -V ».

< V, - ■•''■

r.ii»i?4»»| fl^^S Arr«U. p. '>^ y^int, fc^D cj

^^.

Figure J. Detail of sampler (see fig. 6). by Nancy Prentis Barber. Richmond. 1800.
Accession 198"- ^-t. Nancy Barber was 10 years old when she completed this sam-
pler on a fine linen ground of 56 X 6-i threads per inch. Note the rerersal (fthe a 's.
b's. t's. and n's.

materials used may have been the preference of the young nee-
dleworker or, more likely, her teacher, but they also indicate what
supplies were available in local stores. The techniques and variety
of stitches used illustrate some of the practical skills that were
thought necessary in order for a young woman to be a successful
housekeeper. The format and pictorial qualities give clues to what
was conceived as aesthetically pleasing, while the religious and
moral verses forcibly remind us of the expectations that eighteenth-
and nineteenth-century parents had of their daughters.

The sampler was originally a cloth used to practice embroidery
patterns, designs, and appropriate stitches for marking linens with
alphabets and numerals. Valuable linens (fig. 3) and clothing such
as shifts and shirts were marked with numbers and initials in or-
der to keep sets together and to ensure that items sent out to be
laundered or mended were returned to the proper owner. This
practice continued into the nineteenth century and was the fore-
runner of the modern-day practice of monogramming.

November, 1990

Figure 3 ■ Woolen blankets, damask linen napkins and pillowcases, England and
America, eighteenth century. All are marked with their owners ' initials and iden-
tifying numbers.

The oldest surviving dated English sampler was made in 1598 by
Jane Bostocke.^ Pictorial and written evidence suggests, however,
that samplers or similar embroideries were being done at least a
century earlier.^ These early samplers (fig. 4) were typically long
and narrow, were worked in bands of geometrical patterns, flowers
and vines, alphabets, and verses, and were intended to be used as
records of different stitches and embroidery patterns. As a new
stitch was learned, it was added onto the sampler, which might
have been rolled and tucked in a basket for easy storage; it could be
unrolled later and used as a reference when mending or sewing. It
is evident from the beauty of some of these early pieces that they
were also meant to be demonstrations of a young girl's proficien-
cy in the needle arts.

MESDA

The earliest known American sampler was worked some time be-
fore 1656 by Loara Standish, daughter of Captain Myles Standish
who came to Plymouth on the Mayflower in 1620."^ Early Ameri-
can samplers resembled English examples in their general size,
shape, and format. Not until the second quarter of the eighteenth
century did American samplers take on their own distinct identity
and became typically less formal and symmetrical than contem-
porary British ones." English samplers (fig. 5) retained the seven-
teenth-century form longer while American samplers began to
change in shape and format early in the eighteenth century. During
that time the sampler evolved from a long narrow piece — usually
not intended to be framed — to a shorter, mostly rectangular but
sometimes square, sampler with four decorative borders (fig. 6) that
could be framed and displayed as the showpiece of a daughter's
needlework accomplishments.

Figure 4. Framed needlework samplers, silk on linen with padded details, by Mary
Best. England. 1693- 54" X 8 1/2" (original dimensions). Ace. 1955-45 and
1955-46. Some time in the late eighteenth century these samplers were created by
cutting one long sampler apart. The inscription reads "John Best My Father Deare
Paid for This That I Did Hear Mary Best."

November, 1990

Figure 5. Sampler, silk on linen, reverse view, by Rebekah Osborne, England, 1728.
18" X 9 1/2 ". Ace 1950-154. This sampler is not as elongated as its predecessors,
marking the change in shape of English samplers. Its extremely neat back is a
characteristic of many English and Virginia samplers.

MESDA

W^^^i^T^^!^^^

.i-* ^ , . ^ ^W+i* *<-^' f til >»ttoa«

^ Tii.ifht *-• the To»)i«r ♦h«t p»»JfS o,f ^ <; • r ' ,» ,. .

TBI', bi»c*it.r Ir^i'iP*'-^* Aib^wa

•aa/VVvA./vvva,/-\/\^-\/\aaaa/v\/yv\/vV\aaMaaaaaaa/i/\m^

T«t,, „f;„r J^»J- i ,»OAd-8*.^, t>»»» \

P VT

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^'^"^^mt:^-

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Figure 6. Sampler, silk on linen, by Saucy Preutis Barber Richmond, 1800. 21 IM "
X 19 ". (See fig. 1). This sampler illustrates the complete evolution of the sampler
to a rectangle with a greater width than length.

As the shape of the sampler changed, so did its significance and
meaning. It became even clearer that the sampler was more than
just a learning device for stitches and needlework patterns. In ad-
dition to representing a young woman's proficiency in the art of
the needle, the finished sampler made a declaration about her
character. It was a verification of her diligence, virtue, and good
house-mistress skills, all important to fulfilling a woman's role in
eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century societies. The pious
verses (fig. 7) the sampler-maker chose to stitch — or more likely
were chosen for her — reflected an awareness of the proper be-
havior that society instilled in young women. The more elaborate
samplers and embroideries also made a definite social statement
proclaiming that the needleworker's family was of the social and
financial level that could afford to send her to school or pay for
tutoring.

November, 1990

Figure 7. Sampler, silk on cotton, by Emma Page, Clarke County, c. 1840. 5 1/2 " X
3 3/4 ". Ace. 1918-162. Emma Page was born at Pagebrook, her family's estate, in
1833- She married Phillip Nelson of Nelson County and had two children before
she died in 1860 at the age of 27.

MESDA

Instruction in needlework was a common thread in the lives of
young girls of most social and economic levels, for it was felt that
it ultimately prepared them for adulthood. In a 1787 letter to his
daughter Martha, then enrolled in a French convent school, Thom-
as Jefferson wrote:

In the country life of America there are many moments
when a woman can have recourse to nothing but her needle
for employment. In a dull company and in dull weather for
instance . . . The needle is then a valuable resource. Besides
without knowing to use it herself, how can the mistress of
a family direct the works of her servants?'^

Frances Baylor Hill of Hillsborough (fig. 8) in King William County
described her many needlework activities in a diary she kept from
1 January to 31 December 1797. During that time Frances worked
on some type of sewing or needlework project almost every day of
the year — 234 days to be exact, but never on Sundays. Her projects
ranged from the plain sewing, such as mending, darning, and alter-
ing, that girls of all social classes needed to know to the more
decorative or "fancy" needlework that was expected of wealthier
girls with more leisure time. Entries such as, "drew a patron [pat-

Figurc 8. Hillsborough orerlooks the Mcittcipoiii Rircr in King unci (Jiieen County
and is the dwelling of Hill family descendants.

November, 1990

tern] and work'd a handkerchief," "finish'd my pincushion," and "I
work a few leaves on my counterpain [bedspread]," arouse curiosity
about the appearance of her projects. Frances's final entry written
on Sunday 31 December 1797, provides a colorful glimpse into her
personality: "I finish'd my Counterpain on Saturday which has been
about 3 year; And now make a conclusion of my journal which has
been rather more tedious than 1 suppos'd it would have been when
I first began."' 3 That it took Frances only three years to complete
her counterpane is remarkable considering her many other projects
during the same period. An advertisement in the Norfolk Gazette
dated 19 August 1807 gives a rare bit of information about the
needlework prowess of a runaway slave girl. Such skills were prob-
ably taught to her by her mistress:

Ranaway from the subscriber living at Broad Rock, near the
City of Richmond and town of Manchester, on Friday eve-
ning the 7th instant, a mulatto girl by the name of Nancy be-
tween 17 and 18 . . . has been brought up to the house
business, is a good sempstress, can knit, and understands
the marking very well by a sampler.''*

Young girls of families that could afford it usually received some
type of formal education outside the home (fig. 9). Starting as ear-
ly as three years old, a girl might attend a dame school or classes
taught by a woman in her home. There she learned elementary
reading, simple arithmetic, and plain sewing by working a simple
sampler.' 5 Contrary to popular belief, almost all samplers were
made under a teacher's instruction. As one modern-day scholar has
expressed, "Samplers were an adult woman's art executed by a
child's hand."'6 From a dame school, some girls moved on to a
boarding school or home where they would encounter more
specialized teachers and advanced needlework instruction. In 1752,
for example, John Walker advertised in the Virginia Gazette that his
wife taught "young ladies all kinds of needle work," and in 1776
Mrs. Neill proposed opening a boarding school "on the same plan
of the English schools" for young ladies in 'Williamsburg to instruct
them in "reading, tambours, and other kinds of needle work ... As
nothing tends more to the Improvement of a Country than proper
Schools for the Education of both Sexes."'''

Not only did a distinct American form of sampler appear during
the eighteenth century, but regional styles and characteristics devel-
oped in American needlework (figs. 10 and 11) just as they did in

40 MESDA

Figure 9. "The Schoolmistress
23 5/8" X 19". Ace. 1975-126.

hatid-eolored mezzotint. London. 1804.

November, 1990

Figure 10. Sampler, silk on linen, by Mary Starker, Newbury, Massachusetts, 1760.
24 1/4 " X 16 1/2 ". Ace. 1961-57. The pastoral and hunting scene depicted is typi-
cal of samplers and canvas work from the Newbury area.

American furniture. Schoolmistresses with their own unique pat-
terns and techniques established spheres of influence throughout
the colonies.'^ The trend during the period was toward a much
freer, more original sampler with considerable variety in design and
technique. By the last quarter of the eighteenth century, regional
characteristics emerge in Virginia schoolgirl embroideries, distin-
guishing them from embroideries made in other areas of North

MESDA

America. These Virginia embroideries vary significantly among
themselves. At present thirteen groups, two from the eighteenth
century and eleven from the nineteenth, of embroideries have been
isolated, each with distinguishing characteristics that reflect the in-
fluence of one teacher or school (see Appendix l).'^

Figure 11. Sampler, silk on linen, by Mary Welsh. Boston. r~2. 22 1/2 " X 16 1/2 ".
Ace. 1962-309. Mary's sister. Grace, worked a similar sampler in H'^-i.

November, 1990

jff.'fe ■•■■:.;.'^S8S!'

'■^^-^^^^W^P^IW*^ 1

-', ■■J-i'?. ];'>! ■■■•>'i'::"'"

^.;^;!^|it;i:::L;: ;,; H:j

'r^*^^^?i^^^

■«pUi!^%-.

Figure 12. Sampler, silk on linen, by Mary Willis Ambler probably York County,
mid-l7''0s. 10 3/4 " X63/8 ". Courtesy of the Association for the Presentation of Vir-
ginia Antiquities. Mary Ambler (1766-1831) was the daughter offacquelin and Re-
becca Amblin of Yorktown. She married fohn Marshall in 1783 «"^ moved to
Richmond.

MESDA

Figure 12a The reverse of Mary Ambler's sampler illustrates the double-sided
cross, seven-step cross, and Algerian eye stitches.

November, 1990

Although it is difficult to give a description or set of guidelines for
identifying a generic Virginia schoolgirl embroidery, a few gener-
al statements can be made. Besides the Virginia names and locations
worked into these embroideries, they usually are rather plain and
are less decorative than their northern counterparts. However,
many show a remarkable degree of "neatness;" their backsides are
almost mirror images of the fronts, especially on those made in
eastern Virginia. Interestingly, this concern for craftsmanship is
paralleled in eastern Virginia furniture, which is characterized by its
"neat and plain" style with more attention to construction tech-
niques than to carved ornamentation. ^^

Virginia samplers are similar in some respects to other American
samplers. For example, many have survived in poor condition with
missing embellishment threads and ground fabric. A few are merely
fragments of their original appearance. The majority of identified
Virginia work dates to the late eighteenth and first half of the
nineteenth centuries; the same can be said about pieces made
throughout the United States. With the establishment and main-
tenance of more stable needlework schools and teachers in the
nineteenth century, obviously more embroideries were stitched
and therefore more have survived. However, at the time that north-
ern samplers began diverging from English styles and developing
their own regional characteristics, some Virginia embroiderers, par-
ticularly those from eastern Virginia, adhered to the popular
stitches and designs seen in English needlework. A number of the
early Virginia embroideries bear close similarities to English pieces,
and some actually have been mistaken for English work until fur-
ther research was completed. Only the needleworkers' biographical
information worked into some of these examples firmly documents
them as Virginian and not English. There are probably more early
Virginia pieces that have been identified incorrectly.

Reversible stitches such as the seven-step cross stitch (figs. 12 and
12a) and the double-sided cross stitch are common on both English
and Virginia pieces, as are the combination of crowns, coronets,
and figures of Adam and Eve. Other stitches consistently found in

Figure 13- (Right.) Detail of wave motif on the statue commemorating Norborne
Berkeley. Baron de Botetourt, royal governor of Virginia, who died in HIO.
Courtesy of the College of William and Mary, Williamsburg. This statue was on
public view in Williamsburg by H'^j and its designs may have influenced Virginia
artisans.

46 MESDA

November, 1990

Virginia work are the Irish, eyelet, and rice.^i Favorite motifs appear-
ing on eighteenth- and nineteenth- century samplers made through-
out Virginia include the wave, Greek key hearts, birds, crowns, and
coronets. Some sampler designs such as the wave and running dog
are found on other decorative art forms including silver, ceramics,
and furniture, as well as in architecture (fig. 13). One popular nine-
teenth-century format is the square sampler with a decorative bor-
der on four sides enclosing alphabets, numerals, and verses. The
lower half of the sampler consists of a decorative scene, usually a
centered house flanked by trees, birds, and other motifs. Sometimes
the windows of the houses are open halfway"

Figure 14. Sampler, silk on linen, by Mary Johnson, West Point area, 1742. 103/4"
X9". Ace. 1987-716.

MESDA

iji'^^V^

,?r?r*,>^ »

xr-a&t.V"^-

''■■■' :;)4*^^^'

^it

StePi-

^^j'^r

-ws.dLiXw ^- . ■ ft

ip^'

j0!W)fV*>*';*''' •

;)f/;

■^iiig:;

Figures 14a. and Mb. Details of the front and back of Mary Johnson's sampler
showing the use of Irish and reversible stitches and the crown motif.

The earliest known Virginia sampler (fig. 14) was made in the
West Point area in 1742 by Mary Johnson. ^^ At first glance, this sam-
pler of alphabets, numbers, and verses appears rather plain and
unimportant. However, a closer inspection reveals a combination
of certain techniques and motifs (figs. 14a and b) that typify Virginia

November, 1990

needlework. Mary worked her sampler in a variety of reversible
stitches, mainly the seven-step (fig. 15), also known as the brave
bred, true marking, two-sided cross stitch, and marking stitch. ^'^
Other stitches and designs seen here that are characteristic of Vir-
ginia pieces are the Irish stitch and the presence of crowns.

CROSS FRONT AND BACK (SINGLE STITCH)

Figure 15. Seven-step reversible cross stitch, also known as the brave-bred, true-
marking, two-sided cross, and marking stitch. line drawing by susan cooper

The same combination of motifs and techniques appears in an
unfinished Isle of Wight County sampler (fig. l6) made by Sellah
Fulgham in 1761. All stitches are so neatly executed that its back
mirrors its front. The use of the Irish stitch and reversible cross and
the inclusion of crowns, stars, and hearts are characteristic of Vir-
ginia samplers. Sellah's signature line is a variation of a popular
English line and reads: "Sellah Fulgham is My Name Virginia is / My
Nation the Isle White My Dwelling Place / And Christ My Salvation
May the 20th / 1761 Worked this Samplar" (fig. l6a).

An important early group of samplers containing many of these
same characteristics was made in the Williamsburg area in the last
decade of the eighteenth century (see Appendix 1). Ann Pasteur
Maupin, aged ten in 1791, stitched her sampler (fig. 17) on a thin
linen ground of 39 by 32 threads per inch, using all reversible
stitches. Ann lived in Williamsburg with her parents, Gabriel and
Dorcas Maupin. A closely related sampler was worked by Sarah
Walker Waller (fig. 18) with a similar fine linen ground and silk em-
bellishment threads. Sarah was the daughter of Judith Page and
John Waller of Spotsylvania and King William counties; her aunt,
Catharine Page Waller, was married to Benjamin Waller of Williams-
burg, and it is possible that Sarah lived in Williamsburg while she
stitched her sampler. Both samplers depict identical tall, slender
bushes and Adam and Eve with the serpent at the tree. They both

Figure 16. (Right.) Sampler silk on linen, by Sellah Fulgham, Isle of Wight County.
r61. 17 1/8 " X 8 7/8 ". Ace G1988-460.

50 MESDA

-^^-^

November, 1990

-3*

Figure 16a. Detail ofSellah Fulgham 's sampler.

have the wave motif, crowns, and hearts, and even upper case let-
ters created with silk embellishment threads of different colors. A
fragment of a third sampler (fig. 19) with these characteristics re-
cently was given to Colonial Williamsburg. Unfortunately, its bot-
tom third, where the signature line and date would have been
worked, is missing. However, its close similarities to the two de-
scribed previously and its Williamsburg family history leave no
doubt that it was made under the same influence. A fourth sam-
pler related to these three has yet to be located. An entry in Bolton
and Coe's 1921 publication, American Samplers, described a Wil-
liamsburg sampler made by Sarah Hornsby about 1793 with ele-
ments identical to the others: very fine cross stitch, tree of life,
Adam and Eve, serpent, detached figures such as birds, trees, castles,
baskets of flowers, and a verse identical to that of Ann Maupin's
sampler: "Oh Heavenly Virtue Thine A Sacred Flame / And still My
Soul Pays Homage To Thy Name."" Sarah Hornsby presumably
worked her sampler with the same schoolmistress that taught Ann
Pasteur Maupin, Sarah Walker Waller, and the unidentified maker of
that illustrated in figure 19.

52 MESDA

S^-'

\2 -^'^ Un

Figure 17. Sampler, silk on linen, by Ann Pasleur Mciupln. Williamsburg. n9l 16'
X 11 IAS". Ace 1<)H1-161.

November, 1990

Figure 18. Sampler, silk on linen, by Sarah Walker Waller probably Williamsburg,
c. 1791. 18 3/8" X 17". Courtesy of Ibe Clarke County Historical Association.

Very few Virginia samplers and needlework pictures were made
on locally-woven ground fabrics. Most were worked in silk embel-
lishment or embroidery threads on a natural-color linen ground
fabric. These were the typical materials used in America from the
seventeenth century to well into the nineteenth. The silk and linen
were imported from Europe through England and sold at local Vir-
ginia stores. Other materials seen in Virginia schoolgirl embroider-
ies include cotton, silk and wool grounds, wool embellishment
threads, human hair, mica, sequins, beads, padding of faces, paper
cutouts, and watercolors on silk. An 1808 Nansemond County sam-
pler (fig. 20) by Esther Shivers is on a dark linen ground (see Appen-
dix 1). At the age of fifteen Esther not only worked her sampler on
an unusual ground, but she also used a variety of complicated
stitches including herringbone, queen, and reversible cross stitch.

MESDA

i^s-, -■-^•v^ ,-Kj^^.^^^jsi -.'"!^.M.^v^^r%y«"-'i-wv» '>.'»«'•» -'■itii^^i^j' ,e^fyi^

Figure 19- Sampler fragment, silk on linen, unidentified maker probably Wil-
liamsburg, c. 1791. 10 3/4" X 10 1/8". Ace. G1990-94.

One prominent group of samplers can be identified by their un-
common ground fabric. Jannet Nimmo of the Norfolk area and
Catherine Bett, probably of Norfolk, worked their samplers (figs. 21
and 22) in 1812 and 1825, respectively, on a thin glazed worsted
wool woven in a plain weave, sometimes referred to as tammy (see
Appendix 1). This type of ground is common to English samplers
but is rarely documented on American pieces. The ground fabric is
not the only unusual material utilized in the samplers. Jannet used
a bead for the peacock's eye, and both girls worked the tree trunks
in silk chenille threads which give them a soft, velvety pile (fig.
22a). Chenille refers to round, furry threads, and actually is the
French word for caterpillar.'*' It was being imported to Virginia as
early as 1772 by Mrs. Rathell, a Williamsburg shopkeeper. She wrote

November, 1990

f^slhtr cfhwcrss ^Nor^ JunC/d78Q8J<

l4BCMFGm^LlI0P^RSTUV W 1 y2 X / i

|aJbcdcr9h5kl.wT^opc^K^LuLvuAXX2<-/23'td<f 7*8^4

]^BCS>EFC^XKL^IOP<

mMr^Qi^::^^:^^iM^^^<C)y^\j^^

B^^'\ss\r^w^m£^m^ *

imn

Do;y-oum;K Fair

A5- 6r^SS

Figure 20. Sampler, silk on linen, by Esther Shivers, Nansemond County, 1808. 26"
X 163/4". Private collection. The dark ground is unusual for Virginia work.

MESDA

mmmmm^

Figure 21. Sampler, silk and silk chenille on worsted; linen tape and bead, hy Janet
Nitnmo. Princess Anne County. 1812. 14 3/8" X 21 5/8". Ace 1989-365.

to John Norton in England on 22 July 1772: "I am in Much distress
for them, the undernaith Articles without fail ... 3 Dozn Bunches
of Pink Shenell & 3 Dozn Do of Blue Sheneele & No Other Cou-
lars."" These samplers, with their similar materials, composition,
frame, stretcher, and melancholy verse flanked by Neo-
classical swags, were certainly worked under the tutelage of the
same unidentified teacher:

Disease and pain invade our health

And find an easy prey

And Oft when least expected, wealth

Take Wings and flies away

The gourds from which we look for fruit

Produce us only pain,

A worm unseen attacks the root

And all our hopes are vain.

Although alphabet and decorative samplers such as Catherine
Bett's and Jannet Nimmo's make up the majority of surviving Vir-
ginia samplers, other types have been documented, including those
commemorating betrothals or weddings, family record samplers,
and memorial samplers. One type that is found farther north and in
England but has yet to be uncovered in Virginia is the map sampler.

November, 1990

Figure 22. Sampler, silk and silk chenille on worsted; cotton tape, by Catherine
Belt, probably Norfolk area. 1825. 14 5/8" X 25 5/8". Ace 1990-21.

Figure 22a. Detail of Catherine Belt's sampler showing the use of silk chenille
threads in the tree trunks.

MESDA

However, an 1810 advertisement in the Alexandria Gazette suggests
that Virginia girls were making them. Mrs. Edmonds advertised that
she taught "embroidery in chenilles, gold, silver and silk" as well as
"Maps wrought in do."^^

The family register, or family record, sampler that appeared in
Virginia after 1790 reflected the changes that were taking place in
family life. During this period families became more nuclear and
cohesive with the happiness and well-being of family life as the fo-
cus providing the emotional and economic support that earlier in
the century had been supplied by the larger community and pub-
lic sphere. 2*^ Family record samplers included stitched genealogical
charts with information such as the birth, marriage, and death dates
of the needleworker's parents, brothers, sisters, and occasionally
other family members or friends. By the second decade of the
nineteenth century, such records often were combined as memori-
als for deceased family members (figs. 23 and 24).

,^py:2<i.:3CC^Cx:>'

'/isj^;r^o:rh'it-i«oocjos-?s^^~i^^

h eeriifted ftie iiie a:i \i-f. i^c.i- Af.ril .iiai'4 ■?• William 5. .Waritig u-

fi ?t>fte2;^%e.^ro{tef a^i?..., .%TOa,rv Batiks wtre- m-ir

H ms SUzabt-lb Waring,.,-,,.,, ,-.*•.';> tnscl %" Tfce .f0i3i-1,-. <

■Vj/^'

»» ter.-cM-i-ow for fcer esri j,- doom -'-.S Martba Am* V^arimg P

''i^^fl aomotv :t. ->-,te-flee s,^, .....,..: ,'J, C*rb*rir>.- S'^AU-n^h

%i ^or hope wh.oh noinf.s b^^jorjd ti\s roTmb..'^% Roberr 3P WAritt^. ..-.^
*'^ ^.d '■ every teair b** drv. .....;.: *^ vA

n '

}^ Who-n *? Its-vote out icj.iit, ro f»:.i ^!> ilo*€r rhaf'f yixtt 'A lu Bit sj

,^v" ft

^(? ^

1 ' 'Hi

Figure 23- Family register sampler ctttril)iiteil tu Miirtha Ann Wconig. t'sse.x
County, c. 1824. 16 15/16" X 17 7/16". Ace. G1986-126. The upper portion of this
piece consists of a poem dedicated to Mrs. Elizabeth Waring. Martha 's mother who
died in 1814, and a family record that lists the second marriage of Martha s father
in the same year The poem reads: "Let sorrow for her early doom/ No more in
silence sigh/ For hope which points beyond the tomb/ Bids every tear be dry."

November, 1990

Figure 24. This brooch (n. d.) in the form of a daguerrotype of Martha Ann War-
ing descended in the Waringfamilv along with the sampler 1 7/8 " X 1 1/2 ". Ace
Gl 986- 12 7.

Three memorial samplers from the Smithfield, Virginia, area
worked by sisters and stepsisters record the deaths of their parents
and include family initials (see Appendix 1). In 1829 Martha Delk
was the first to work her sampler. It commemorated the death of
her father, Wiley Delk, who had died in 1820. Five years later, in
1834, her sister. Unity A. Delk (fig. 25), and her stepsister, Elizabeth

60 MESDA

M. Cofer (fig. 26), completed similar pieces, although Elizabeth's
sampler honored the death of her mother, Jerusha Cofer, who had
died in 1823. After the death of Elizabeth's mother, her father,
Joseph Cofer, married Martha and Unity's mother, Patsey Delk,
bringing the three girls together. ^^ Another sampler dedicated to a
deceased family member was made in 1828 by Margaret Kerr of Au-
gusta County (fig. 27) in memory of her brother, Bailey Kerr, who

Figure 25. Sampler, silk on linen, by Unity A. Delk. Smithfield area. 1834. 20 1/2"
X 17 1/4 ". Private collection. Mount Pleasant, worked over the house, may refer
to the Cocke family bouse still standing on the fames River in Surry County

November, 1990

Figure 26. Sampler, silk on linen, by Elizabeth M. Cofer. Smithfield area, 1834.
20 7/8" X 17 1/2". Ace. G1988-461. This sampler commemorates the death of
Elizabeth's mother in 1834; the "Arcade No. 3," stitched over the house in thepiece
has not been identified.

MESDA

On & for\d brotl^r^ love

Tom f rotn *ach oth<5r^ arm^ Iw^lomtf

Ma^ rvc both •oi^<?t aboY*:?

St i^ our fate bt u^ ^abmrjit

Ho hclpiXt^ h2ind is mwjar

AldiS a» help com^s^ norn too latd

A<iieu acc^spt a t<?ar.,. • ^o^o ,

Figure 27. Sampler: silk on linen with paper and hair, by Margaret Kerr Augusta
County, 1828. 12 3/4" X 9 y8". Ace. 1989-112. This sampler mourns the death of
Margaret 5 brother in 1823 and acknowledges her marriage to Elijah Hogshead.

November, 1990

had died in 1823. Incorporated into tiie sampler are human hair and
a paper silhouette of Bailey. The poem reads:

A Tear

The only gift I can bestow

On a fond brothers love

Torn from each others arms below

May we both meet above

It is our fate let us submit

No helping hand is near

Alas all help comes now too late

Adieu accept a tear.

Figure 28. Needlework picture, silk on silk and linen with mica, sequins, padding,
and paint, by Mary Abney. probably Rockbridge County. 1802. 17" X 15 3/4". Ace
1898-]()4.

MESDA

Some Virginia schoolgirls worked more elaborate embroidered
pictures. One silk-on-silk needlework picture (fig. 28) by Mary Ab-
ney probably stitched in Rockbridge County about 1802, is the
type of work a girl would attempt after having mastered the needle
by working one or perhaps several samplers (see Appendix 1). This
picture is one of the few Virginia pieces that has everything — pad-
ded faces, painted sky paillettes (better known as sequins) in the
border, and mica in the windows (fig. 28a). Entitled "Palemon and
Lavinia," it is taken from James Thomson's long poem, The Seasons,
published in England during the first half of the eighteenth centu-
ry^' Thomson's fable was inspired by the Old Testament Book of
Ruth and is a romanticized version of the story of Boaz and Ruth.

Figure 28a. Detail of Mary Ahuey's picture showing the mica in the window:

November, 1990

Figure 29- Elizabeth Boush, oil on canvas, by John Durand. Norfolk, 1769- 30 " X
25 1/2". Ace. 1982-271. Elizabeth was sixteen years old at the time of this painting.

Old Testament subjects were popular with American schoolgirls
during the eighteenth century. At the age of sixteen, Elizabeth
Boush (fig. 29) of Norfolk worked her picture of the "Sacrifice of
Isaac" in silk petit point on a silk ground of 38 to 40 threads per
inch (fig. 30). Her picture was probably derived from a block print
in the Thesaurus Sacrarum Historiarum Veteris Testament, pub-
lished by Gerard de Jode in Antwerp in 1585.^^ According to the
embroidered inscription beneath the picture, Elizabeth worked her
piece at "E. Gardners" in 1768 and 1769. "E. Gardners" refers to
Elizabeth Gardner Armston, who advertised her Norfolk school in
the Virginia Gazette from 1766 until 1772:

MESDA

The subscriber begs leave to inform tiie publick tiiat she has
taken a house in Norfolk bourough, for the accommodating
young Ladies as boarders; where are taught the following
things, viz. Embroidery, tent work . . . queenstitch, Irish do.
and all kinds or shading . . . and Shell work . . . and artificial
flowers. -^^

This picture is the earliest known American needlework to iden-
tify^ its school of origin and is still one of the few southern embroid-
eries known to have been made at a specific school.'*'*

Teachers, professional painters, framers, and embroiderers im-
ported English prints, paintings, and drawings and offered them for
sale and rent as suitable design sources for needlework pictures.
Some even provided their own original drawings at a lower price.
These "originals" often were later copies of English prints and
drawings and generally were simpler renditions, many with dis-
tinctly American additions such as eagles. ^^ A few schoolgirls may
have designed their own pictures. Many sources were available: im-
ported fabrics from Italy and the Orient, reissues of old pattern
books, books with engravings, and tradesmen's manuals. Eew of
these books have survived, for most were ruined by the practice of
pricking and pouncing the pages, which was necessary for transfer-
ring the patterns onto fabric. Occasionally teachers used English
patterns created specifically for white work. Mrs. Tennant of Nor-
folk advertised in 1796 that "to enable her to teach from the most
approved methods, as in Britian, she has procured at a very great
expense a large and general Assortment of Stamps, of the most
fashionable patterns." ^'^^ These stamps produced systematic designs
and configurations rather than pictures, however.

Unfortunately for students of Virginia needlework, most sam-
plers and needlework pictures do not identify where the piece was
made or under whose instruction. Eighteenth- and nineteenth- cen-
tury newspaper advertisements, insurance records, guardian books,
and other contemporary documents indicate that there were
numerous schools and teachers for female education and the nee-
dle arts (see Appendix 2). One 1786 advertisement for a Henrico
County boarding school is of special interest because it compares
the education of girls and boys: "The Girls on Saturdays will be
taught plain Needle work, and the Duties incumbent on Mistress-
es of Families. No other Difference will be made between the Edu-
cation of Boys and Girls, except the Girls will not be taught
Mathematics."^^ Many teachers advertised themselves as being "just

November, 1990 67

MESDA

from England" or as "teaching in the English style." It is evident
from the records that many of the teachers relocated frequently,
traveling from one Virginia city to another and spreading their own
distinct styles of needlework. In 1795 Mrs. Bell advertised in Alex-
andria as being from Charleston. In 1797 she had moved to Norfolk
and in 1799 she was in Richmond, once again advertising as being
from Charleston (see Appendix 2).

One group of Virginia samplers that cannot be assigned to a
specific school or region is characterized by Quaker alphabets and
motifs. Quaker women teaching up and down the east coast used
a particular style of lettering and motifs that originated at the
Friend's School in Ackworth and York, England. The Quaker al-
phabet is distinct in its size and boldness, and typical Quaker mo-
tifs usually worked in cross stitches included pairs of birds, wreaths,
sprays of roses, and medallions. ^^ Sarah Bruce Butt s 18II sampler
(fig. 31) depicts subtle but recognizable Quaker motifs such as lilies
of the valley, sprays of flowers, and a geometric medallion enclos-
ing a bird and vine (see Appendix 1). Sarah was the daughter of
Nathaniel and Frances Butt of old Lower Norfolk County.

Occasionally a Virginia piece does indicate where it was made
and or under whose instruction. One example is a rather fragile
sampler (fig. 32) made in Rockbridge County in 1819. Although the
maker did not include her own name, she did stitch the following:
"Female Academy Lexington March 28th 1819" That academy, also
known as the Ann Smith Academy, opened in 1807. Named for its
first principal, Miss Ann Smith, the Presbyterian academy operated
as a private institution until 1908 when it became the property of
the town of Lexington. ^^ Another sampler (fig. 33) worked in Ports-
mouth in 1837 gives insight into the influence of one schoolteacher
and her relationship with her student. E. Lee worked into her sam-
pler a brief commemoration to her teacher: "Wrought by E. Lee for
her affectionate teacher. Portsmouth Va July 24th 1837." Mary Tom-
lin s sampler (fig. 34) not only gives its maker s name and age, but
includes her parents' names, John W. and Margaret W. Tomlin; her
home, Clifton, in Hanover County; and where she made the piece.

Figure 30. (Left.) Needlework picture, silk on silk, by Elizabeth Boush. Norfolk,
1768-69. 19 1/2" X 11 1/2". MESDA Research File S-622-i. ace 284''.

November, 1990 69

Figure 31. Sampler, silk on linen, by Sarah Bruce Butt, old Lower Norfolk County,
1811. 24 1/4 " X 163/8". Ace. 1989-34. Although Sarah's lettering is not as bold and
distinct as typical Quaker alphabets, her motifs worked in cross stitch at the bot-
tom of the sampler are Quaker in style. Subtle Quaker characteristics such as these
are seen in a number of Virginia samplers.

MESDA

Greenwood Seminary, as well. Unfortunately, Greenwood Semi-
nary has not been located. It is believed to have been in Hanover
County, but it could have been in a neighboring county (see Appen-
dix 1). Mary's verse is a popular one found on other American and
Virginia samplers:

Religion is the chief concern

Of mortals here below

May I its great importance learn

Its sovereign virtue know

Religion should our thoughts engage

Amidst our youthful bloom

Twill fit us for declining age

And for the awful tomb.

-?-*

/^ "d *l<i SMr ♦<".'** xto*^

/^N

€M

-^■Xv

"vI»»-_-

--i^-*'

Figure 32. Sampler, silk on linen, unidentified maker Lexington Female Academy.
Lexington, 1819. 16 1/8" X r 1/2 ". Ace G 1984-1 49.

November, 1990

niBCDEFGHiJJiKL.raifMjfiSMXOJf'^Q.RSfrjj

'■If ■^^^^g*'^*" •«*» ^^ feo»t*tKat *p*r« »h« i«iou.*tA« n4>t

clCe that, hofci^ fa^t the goWei. »«a« ^ ^^^ ^^^ ^wY^Kce dhrJde
O'W liws- coi>t*«(^y fcretw*** <>i»-i ^pea^aKi th* ni.it rwM

V he Sttte and gr*«t
^I^ «ot the *«»t* tKtt p«<h th. peor ^^^ent JWe*st.g- uai^rvaW

cJrobiwnTig aH his- ta*te
y he t-aJtest ph»«s- leef nw^t th* po»u"r ,

Of wastry bust i the toftteft to*f'r i^- j^

"^*ft* hetwiert to ^Iweroruudd' """'"■«' i '

l-Kimght tjr 6 £te «or hec *i»«ctJ«i^e teacher ^apt^mo«.y:i %a Ju.!y^4***

Figure 33- Unfinished sampler, silk on linen. E. Lee. Portsmouth, 1837. 16 1/2" X
18". Ace. G 1988-477.

Reading and researching poignant sampler inscriptions such as
this conjures up images of the needleworkers and their teachers, for
these verses reveal something of their characters and convey per-
sonal values. Religious and pious verses were an integral part of the
sampler and appear in Virginia work as early as 1742, mostly due to
the religious discussions and thoughts that were part of everyday
life and education during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

72 MESDA

One hundred and seven different verses have been recorded from
Virginia samplers (see Appendix 3). Some of these same verses ap-
pear up and down the east coast as well as in England i"*" many were
taken from the popular published writings of men such as Alex-
ander Pope and Isaac Watts. Reverend Watts, in particular, was a fa-
vored English religious author best known for his children's hymns
and verses.'*' The most prevalent verse (fig. 35) on samplers
originating in Virginia and England was probably written by the
Reverend John Newton:

Jesus permit thy gracious name to stand
As the first effort of an infant hand
And while her fingers oer this canvass move
Engage her tender heart to seek thy love
With thy dear children let her share a part
And write thy name thyself upon her heart. ''^

Jfoh ft W t^vsUii . Marf -ftTtft W To^^-fi .. C&f*o a .

l^ ,Wj

jbi.j> I K#«r«»» (wf"***** Inn
|t» s^r^»f*e^ virtu* Icmm^

if 4
f

Aird *0» «>» . A

*Lr

Figioi 1 i SciniplcK silk (1)1 linen, hy Mciry lonilin. Greenwood Scinnuii]. [imhciblv
Hanoi et County, wr. 1" 1/8" X 16 ^8" (framed). Ace 1990-39. The open win-
dows are a characteristic seen on other Virginia samplers.

November, 1990

if Ml

I .1 ^ r

' ' i¥*!Pf til!!': ' '

ulll

t>' . ^ I iiwu i M I > I. u 1 >l

^ f
I
(ft

#'iiir#:v:^/ fi"' i'K-W.iifP

Figure 35. Detail of Elizabeth Cofer 's sampler (see fig. 26) depicting the verse most
commonly found on Virginia samplers.

The study of Virginia schoolgirl embroideries is an educational
and rewarding experience. Discovering an unknown Virginia sam-
pler or unearthing a new bit of information about an already
known work is similar to assembling the pieces of a puzzle.
Researching the schoolgirls and their teachers provides an insight
into the lives of these eighteenth- and nineteenth-century women.
Most significantly, the embroideries evoke the pride the girls must
have felt in their accomplishments and their desire to be remem-
bered as demonstrated by Eliza Woodrow's verse, "When this you
see remember me / Though many miles apart. When I do see you
once again / It will ease my troubled heart."^^

MESDA

APPENDIX 1
GROUPS OF VIRGINIA SCHOOLGIRL EMBROIDERIES
Group I.

Sampler, Ann Pasteur Maupin (fig. 17)
Silk on linen
20 October 1791
Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1981-161

Sampler, Sarah Walker Waller (fig. 18)

Silk on linen

c. 1790

Collection of the Clarke County Historical Society

Sampler, Sarah Hornsby

Silk on linen

c. 1793

Bolton and Coe, American Samplers.

Sampler fragment, unknown maker (fig. 19)

Silk on linen

c. 1790

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. G1990-94.

These four samplers are related to each other in the use of the same fine linen ground (ap-
proximately 39 X 32 threads per inch) and embellishment threads, reversible cross stitches to
create a neat backside, and detached figures such as Adam and Eve, serpent, tree of life, coro-
nets, wave, tall slender bushes, hearts, castles, and baskets of flowers. Embellishment threads
of different colors are used for capital letters of each word. Two share the identical verse (see;
Appendix 3, verse 28). All have a Williamsburg connection.

Group II.

Sampler, Frances Ragsdale

Silk on linen

1797

Collection of the Valentine Museum.

Sampler, Mildred Ragsdale

Silk on linen

1800

Private collection.

Frances and Mildred Ragsdale were sisters from King William County Their simple alphabet
samplers with family initials are almost identical in size, format, and materials.

Group III.

Unfinished sampler, Susan Riddick

Silk on linen

31 January 1806

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1978-91.

Sampler, Esther Goodwin Shivers (fig. 20)
Silk on linen
15 June 1808
Private collection.

Sampler, Sarah Bruce Butt (fig. 31)

Silk on linen

18 June 1811

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1989-34.

November, 1990 75

Sampler, Elizabeth Mary Wise

Silk on cotton

c. 1820

Private collection.

All four of these samplers have been attributed to the Norfolk and Nansemond County area.
Similar characteristics include the working of the cross stitch to resemble Irish stitch, use of
queen stitch, pieced ground fabric, and Quaker alphabets and motifs.

Group IV.

Sampler, Mildred Malone

Wool, silk, and paint on linen

8 September I8I7

Collection of the Valentine Museum.

Sampler, Flora Virginia Holmes

Wool, silk, and paint on linen

1829

Collection of the Valentine Museum.

The unusual use of wool embellishment threads in the borders and the painted scenes in the
center of these pieces suggests that they were worked under the same influence. They have
been attributed to the Richmond area.

Group V.

Sampler, Mary Kennerly

Silk on linen

I8I5

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1987-687.

Sampler, Susana S. Rees[e)

Silk on linen

c. I8I5

Collection of the Lynchburg Museum System.

Sampler, Martha Jane Whittenton

Silk on linen

1833

Collection of the Lynchburg Museum System.

Sampler, Ann Eliza Bailey

Silk on linen?

c. 1820

Private collection.

These four Lynchburg samplers are characterized by Quaker alphabets, double hearts and
wave motifs, and the use of the Irish stitch.

Group VI.

Sampler, Mary Muir

Silk on linen

8 June I8I8

Collection of the Lyceum, Alexandria.

Sampler, Mary Harrison

Silk on linen

July 1830

Collection of the National Museum of American History

Mary Muir and Mary Harrison worked their Alexandria samplers in queen, cross, satin, and
stem stitches. They share the same geometric strawberry border with an unusual building and
tree in the center. Mary Muir may have been the daughter of Dr. James Muir who operated a

76 MESDA

school for female education in Alexandria (see Appendix 2). However, her birth date suggests
that she was the daughter of a John Muir.

Group VII.

Sampler, Jannet Ninimo (fig, 21)

Silk and silk chenille threads on tammy

1812

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1989-365.

Sampler, Catherine Bett (fig. 22)

Silk and silk chenille threads on tammy

1825

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1990-21.

Jannet and Catherine worked their samplers 13 years apart using the identical tammy ground
fabric and silk chenille embellishment threads. The stretcher technique, inner frame, and frame
are also identical. They share the same verse (see Appendix 3, verse 6).

Group VIII.

Sampler, Mary W Tomlin (fig. 34)

Silk on linen

1817

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1990-39.

Sampler, Mildred B. Chewning

Silk on linen

1835

Collection of the Valentine Museum.

Sampler, Sarah E. Reynolds

Silk on linen

1848

Private collection.

All three samplers have similar formats with the use of the Quaker alphabet, heavy strawber-
ry and vine border, and half-open windows. Two share the same verse (see Appendix 3, verse
45). Mildred B. Chewning and Sarah Reynolds worked their pieces under the tutelage of Lucy
Mary Quisenberry Montague (see Appendix 2). The three samplers have been attributed to
Hanover and Caroline Counties.

Group IX.

Sampler, Maker unknown

Silk on linen

c. 1828

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1988-501.

Sampler, Eliza J. Spratley

Silk on linen

1828

Private collection.

Sampler, Lilias Blair McPhail

Silk on linen

c. 1828

Collection of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

These three Norfolk samplers are characterized by densely worked water scenes, heavy wave
bands, and bold floral borders. All three have the same verse (see Appendix 3, verse 24).

Group X.

Sampler, Virginia Ann Clark
Silk on linen

November, 1990 77

1828

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1986-10.

Sampler, unknown maker

Silk on linen

c. 1828

Location unknown.

These two Norfolk samplers share the same densely worked area at the bottom which
includes a castle and verses (see Appendix 3, verses 26 and 53).

Group XI.

Sampler, Martha Delk
Silk on linen
21 May 1829
Private collection.

Sampler, Unity A(deline] Delk (fig. 25)
Silk on linen

5 September 1834
Private collection.

Sampler, Elizabeth M. Cofer
Silk on linen

6 September 1834

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. G1988-461.

Martha, Unity, and Elizabeth were sisters and half sisters living in the Smithfield area. Their
samplers commemorate the deaths of their father and mother and share the same ground fabric
(approximately 28 x 29 threads per inch) and embellishment threads. Stitches include cross,
rice, square cross, off-set Irish worked over six threads and back two. Half-open windows are
in the three-story houses in the center of each piece. Two share the identical verse (see Appen-
dix 3, verse 43).

Group Xll.

Sampler, Mahala Cline

Silk on linen

1830

Location unknown.

Sampler, Mary R. Sommers
Silk on linen
9 February 1844
Private collection.

Sampler, Eleanor Hankel

Silk on linen

1844

Private collection.

Sampler, Elizabeth Shirley
Silk on linen
9 April 1844
Private collection.

Related characteristics of these New Market samplers are their saw-tooth borders, bold vine
borders, and house, fence, and tree. Other embroideries similar to these have been researched
by Roddy Moore.

Group XIll.

Needlework picture, Drusilla De La Fayette Tate

Silk, silk chenille, mica, sequins, padding, and paint on silk and linen ground

78 MESDA

1802

Private collection

Needlework picture, Mary Abney (fig. 28)

Silk, silk chenille, mica, sequins, padding, and paint on silk and linen ground

c. 1802

Collection of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, ace. 1989-304.

The subject, "Palemon and Lavinia," and the almost identical verse (see Appendix 3, verse
36), materials, and stitches seen in these pictures strongly suggests that they were worked under
the same influence. Both of these embroideries have been attributed to the Rockbridge County
area where it is known that Drusilla lived as an adult.

APPENDIX 2

VIRGINIA SCHOOLGIRL TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS

ADAMS, Mrs., Culpeper County. 1812.

"Teaching fine Needle-work of every description . . . school . . . supplied with elegant patterns,

and their work drawn at a moderate expense." [Virginia Herald, 23 Dec. 1812)

Mr. ANDERSON'S ACADEMY/ CAMP, Mrs.. Lynchburg. Campbell County 1809-

"FOR FEMALE EDUCATION . . . Mrs. Camp . . . sister of Mr. A. and guardian of the young

ladies." (Enquirer, 5 Sept. 1809.)

ANGERONE SEMINARY, Winchester. Frederick County 1835-

"Assisted by Miss Henry and Miss Pole . . . Needlework." (Martinsburgh Gazette, 7 May 1835.)

ANN SMITH ACADEMY, Lexington. Rockbridge County 1807-1908.

"Useful and ornamental branches of female education." (Martinsburgh Gazette. 28 Oct. 1808.)

"Engaged Mrs. SELINA NICKOLS to conduct the seminary." (Virginia Herald, 29 Oct. 1817 and

William Pusey, The History of the Female Academy in Lexington, Virginia, Lexington, Va.,

1983.)

Sampler, unknown maker, 1819 (fig. 32).

ARMSTON, E., Point Pleasant. Norfolk. 1766-74';'

"Better known by the Name of Gardner . . . School . PetitPoint . . Nuns Work, Embroidery

in Silk, Gold, Silver, Pearls . . . Dresden . . . Catgut . . . after the newest Taste, and most elegant

Pattern . . . other embellishments necessary for the Amusement of Persons of Fortune who

have Taste." (Virginia Gazette 20 Feb. 1772.)

See E. Gardner

ARMSTRONG. Elizabeth. Shepherdstown. 1810.

"SCHOOL . . . Plain Sewing, marking. Tambour, and all kinds of Needle Work and Embroidery."

(Hagers-Town Gazette, 6 Feb. 1810.)

BAKER, Mrs., Dinwiddle County, 18l6.

"SCHOOL . . . ordinary needlework." (Petersburg Republican, 20 Sept. 1816.)

BANKS, Mrs., Fredericksburg. 1809-10.

"School ... all kind of Needle work." (Virginia Herald, 1 Dec. 1810.)

BANKS, Mrs. Elizabeth, Petersburg. 1816.

"SCHOOL . . . Needle Work." (Republican, 9 Jan. 1816.)

"THE BANNISTER HOME," Sussex County early nineteenth century.

(Stephenson, Mary A., Old Homes in Surry and Sussex.)

November, 1990 79

BARRON, Mrs., A'or/o//fe, 1810-20.

"Seminary . . . Needle Work . . . plain Needle work and marking'.'

(American Beacon and Norfolk & Portsmouth Daily Advertiser, 17 Dec. 1818.) "Seminary . . .
plain and ornamental Needle-work." (Ibid., 24 Oct. 1819.) "MRS. RUSSELL . . . engaged to at-
tend Mrs. Barron's Seminary." {Norfolk Herald, 23 Oct. 1820 and American Beacon and Nor-
folk & Portsmouth Daily Advertiser, 24 Oct. 1819.) "Mrs. Barron and Mrs. Russell having united
their Establishments . . . Worsted and Rug Work, Embroidery . . . Sampler Work and Plain Sew-
ing." (Ibid., 28 Dec. 1820.)

BELFIELD FEMALE ACADEMY, Greenville County 1810.

"Embroidery, Tambouring, and all sorts of Needlework." (Petersburg Intelligencer, 13 Nov.

1810.)

BELL, Mrs., Alexandria, 1795 (from Charleston).

"SCHOOL . . . Plain Work, Marking, Open Work and Embroidery." (Columbian Mirror and

Alexandria Gazette, 4 July 1795)

BELL, Mrs., Norfolk, 1797.

"SCHOOL . . . Plain Sewing, Marking, Open work, and Embroidery." (Norfolk Herald & Public

Advertiser, 9 Stpi. 1797)

BELL, Mrs., Richmond, 1799 (from Charleston).

"Boarding School . . . Plain Work, Marking, Open Work and Embroidery — also the first Ru-
diments of Drawing, such as Vines or Flowers." (Virginia Argus. 6 Dec. 1799.)

BERAULD, Mrs., Norfolk, 1799.

"SCHOOL . . . every kind of Needlework, Embroidery shadowed . . . Flowers, Drawing." (Nor-
folk Herald, 3 Dec. 1799.)

BOBBIT, Mrs./ LAWRENCEVILLE ACADEMY, Brunswick County 1820 (from Louisburg N. C).

"Together with Embroidery." (Petersburg Republican, 13 Oct. 1820.)

BOSWORTH, Miss A., Petersburg, 1819.

"[Jonathan Smith] engaged Miss A. BOSWORTH . . . various branches of education usually

taught in female seminaries . . . plain and ornamental needle work." (Ibid., 24 Dec. 1819)

See Petersburg Female Academy

BOWLES, Mrs., Pomwowf/b, 1819.

"Seminary . . . useful and ornamental Needle Work." (American Beacon and Norfolk & Ports-
mouth Daily Advertiser, 8 Feb. 1819.)

BOYLES, Mrs., Norfolk, 1816.

"Seminary . . . Plain Sewing and Marking, Tambour, Netting." (American Beacon and Commer-
cial Diary 2 Feb. 1816.)

BROOKS, Mrs., Norfolk. 1816.

"WAX WORK . . . School . . . Basket and other Fancy Work." (Ibid., 27 Nov 1816.)

BUTLER, Miss, Portsmouth. 18r.

"School . . . Needlework . . . Plain Sewing." (American Beacon and Commercial Diary, 24 July

1817)

BYRD, Mrs. Anna/ THE RICHMOND ACADEMY Richmond. 1807.
"Needle-work." (Enquirer, 29 Jan. 1807)

CAMP Mrs./ Mr. ANDERSON'S ACADEMY, Lynchburg. 1809.

"MR. ANDERSON'S ACADEMY FOR EDUCATION . . . Mrs. Camp . . . guardian of the young

ladies." (Ibid., 5 Sept. 1809)

CAMP, Mrs., Richmond. 1810. 1818.

Opened an institution with Mr Anderson: "Miscellaneous subjects, that are either essential or

highly ornamental in polite Education." (Ibid., 14 Aug. 1810.) "Mrs. Camp take charge of the

domestic circle. " (Richmond Enquirer, "^ Apr 1818.)

80 MESDA

CAMPBELL, Mrs., Fredericksburg. ISiP.

"SCHOOL . , . plain and ornamental Needle Work, Tambouring, Embroidery." [Virginia Her-
ald, 21 "^ow. 1807.)

CAMPBELL, Mrs. James? Petersburg, 1813 (from Europe).
"Embroidery . . . assisted by her two daughters . . . Academy. ' (Republican. 8Jan. 1813.)

CHANDLER, Miss, Manchester 18(W.

"MANCHESTER FEMALE ACADEMY . . . elegant Needle-Wori<." Miss Chandler was educated

by Mrs. O'Reilly {Enquirer, 7 Feb. 1809.)

CHARLES TOWN ACADEMY, Charles T(nni. (West) Virginia. 1811.

"The subscriber [B. R. Saunders] has also engaged a lady to instruct young ladies in needle

work." (Farmer's Repository, 4 Oct. 1811.)

CLARK, Miss Anne, Petersburg. 1820.

"Petersburg Female Academy . . (Jonathan Smith] engaged MISS ANN CLARK as instruc-
tress." (Petersburg Republican, 29 Dec. 1820.)
See Petersburg Female Academy

COWARDINE, Mrs., WILLIAM WHITES FEMALE SCHOOL, Jamestown. Prince Edward
County, early nineteenth century.

(MESDA Research Files and Herbert Clarence Bradshaw, History oj Prince Edward County.)
Mrs. Cowardine also taught at the Pridesville Female Seminary in Amelia County (Richmond
Enquirer, 10 Dec. 1815.)
Sampler, Mary Calloway White', 1834.

CROUCH, Mary B., Richmond. 181'.

"School . . . marking and needle work." (Daily Compiler, 10 Jan. 1817)

CUNNINGHAM, Rachel, Isle of Wight County 1816.

"Seminary . . . Needle-Work'' (American Beacon and Commercial Diary, 30 Dec. 1816.)

Sampler, Virginia Ann Godwin, undated.

DAVIDS, M., Norfolk. r88.

"Also young Misses plain Sewing and Marking." (Norfolk and Portsmouth Journal. 13 Feb.

1788.)

DAVIS, Miss, Richmond and .Manchester 1818.

"DAY SCHOOL . . . Embroidery Tambour Work, plain and ornamental needle work." (Daily

Compiler, 1 June 1818.)

DEANE, Mary B., Lynchburg, 1814.

"School . . . Needlework . . . Artificial Work . WAX WORK." (Lynchburg Press, 1 Dec. 1814.)

DE GRUCHY, Mrs., Richmond. ISF (from London).

"Academy . . . Muslin work with all the different Lace stitches, the making of fringe, the netting

of Purses, with all the different kinds of fancy works." (Richmcmd Commercial Compiler, 7 June

1817.)

DERIEUX, Mrs., Richmond. 181'.

"ACADEMY . . . plain needlework . . . Embroidery of silk or satin, with chenille, silk, silver or

gold thread." (Daily Compiler, 2" Dec. 1817)

DOWNIE, Mrs. S., Richmond. 18(J5 (Jrom London).

"SCHOOL . . . Plain Work . . . Embroidery Philligree . . . Fancy work." (Virginia Gazette and

General Advertiser, 30 Mar 180S.)

DUKE, Mrs., Williamsburg. PW-^O.

"Teach NEEDLEWORK in the neatest manner" "Will take in NEEDLEVl'ORK, and teach chil-
dren." (Virginia Gazette, 21 Sept. 1"'69 and 29 Nov. 1770.)

DUNLAP, Maria Anne, Alexandria. 1810.

"School . . . Embroidery Tambour, Marking, Working maps, plain work, &c." (Alexandria

Daily Gazette Commercial & Political, 2 Oct. 1810.)

November, 1990 81

EDMONDS, Mrs., Alexandria. 1810.

"School . . . Embroidery in cheniles, gold, silver and silk. Maps wrought in do." (Alexandria

Daily Gazette, 6 M^r. 1810.)

EDMONDS, Mrs., Norfolk. 1818.

"Plain and Ornamental Needlework." (American Beacon and Commercial Diary, 23 Feb. 1818.)

ELLET, Miss Jennie? Richmond, early nineteenth century.

St. Catherine's School (Valentine Museum Research Files.) Sampler, Elizabeth Ellet, early

nineteenth century

ELLZEY, Mrs. R., Loudon County 1818.

Mrs. Ellzay opens school for young ladie.s, with assistance of Mi.ss Riley "a young lady of very

polished manners" in needlework.

(MESDA Research Files.)

FARMSWORTH, Mrs., Alexandria. 1802.

"School . . , sewing in its different branches. Embroidery &c." (Alexandria Advertiser and

Commercial Intelligencer, 13 Aug. 1802.)

FEMALE ACADEMY, Culpeper County 1808.

"Useful and ornamental Needle work." (Virginia Herald, 14 Dec. 1808.)

FEMALE INSTITUTION, New Glasgow. Jefferson County 1819-

"Plain Needlework . . . Ornamental Needlework." (Richmond Enquirer, -t May 1819)

FERGUSON, Euphania W., Richmond. 1817-19-

"Seminary . . . Embroidery, plain and ornamental needlework." (Richmond Commercial Com-
piler, 12 Sept. 1817 and Richmond Enquirer, 20 Aug. 1819.)
Needlework picture, Mary Ann Stet.son, 1818.

FLETCHER, Miss, Norfolk. 1808.

"SCHOOL . . . Female Education, Marking, Flowering, Lace Work, Tambouring, Embroidery,

Filligree." (Norfolk Gazette and Puhlick Ledger, 9 May 1808) "Old Methodist Meeting House

. . . useful and ornamental branches of Female Education." (Norfolk Gazette and Public Ledger,

14 Nov 1808.)

"Mrs. FORE'S SCHOOL," Richmond. 1826.

Sampler, Elizabeth Davis Blackwell, 1826.

GARDNER, E, Norfolk Borough. 1766-74'

"Boarders . . . Embroidery, tent work, nuns do., queenstitch, Irish do. . . . also point, Dresden

lace work, catgut, &c. Shell work, wan work, and artificial flowers." (Virginia Gazette, 21 Mar.

1766.)

See E. Armston.

Embroidery Elizabeth Boush, 1768-9.

GARDNER, Mrs., Norfolk. 1801.

"DAY SCHOOL . . . Dresden, Embroidery Point, Plain Workr (Norfolk Herald, 19 Mar. 1801)

"Marking." (Ibid., 23 May 1801.)

GAUTIER, Mrs., A^or/oZ/fe. 1812.

"Embroidery . . . Tamboring, Needle Work, Point de Paris." (Norfolk Gazette and Puhlick Ledg-
er 50 ^ov. 1812.)

GORLIER, Mrs., Norfolk. 1806.

"Boarding-School . . all sorts of Needle Work and Embroidery." (Ibid., 3 Dec. 1806.)

GORLIER, Mrs., Richmond, 1812.

"School ... all kind of Needle Work " (Ibid., 14 Aug. 1812.)

"GREENWOOD SEMINARY," Probably Hanover County 1817.
Sampler, Mary W. Tomlin, 1817

HACKLEY, Mrs., Germanna. Caroline County, 1808.

"SCHOOL . . . improvement of the young Ladies. " (Virginia Herald, 14 Dec. 1808.)

82 MESDA

HAMLIN, Annc^ West Paint area. r42.

Silk on linen, Mary Johnson, 17-42.

HANNAH, EUzdhclh, Alexandria. rs■^-,S'i.

"School . . . in.structed in writing and needlework " (\'triiiiiia Jaunial and .Ale.xandna .-U/ver

tiserlSOa. rH-4, 3 Feb. l^HS.)

HARRISON, Benjamin and Sarah, Mecklenhuri> Cininty. ISOS.

"BOARDING SCHOOL . . . Needle-Work." (Petersburg hitelligencer. W Sept. 1808.)

HA'i'DEN, Julia Benham, Sniithfield. Isle of Wight County. 1825-U.

lulia Hayden, also known as Mrs. Sam.son White, opened a .school in January 1826. She taught

at Hayden Hall and Oak Grove Academy. (Segar Gofer Dashiell, Smithfield. A Pictorial History.)

HODGSON. M. Richmond. HHS. r<^)2. r')S.

"School ... all kinds of needle work." (Virginia Gazette and Weekly Advertiser. HJan. 1788.)

"Fine works, tambour, and embroidery." (Virginia Gazette and General Advertiser. 20 May

r9S.) "Fine work. Marking, Dresden, Tambour . . . Scrapwork." (Virginia Gazette and General

Advertiser 20 May I79S.)

HOPKINSON, Miss Ann, Fredericksburg. I8I5.

"School . . . plain and ornamental needlework, rug-work, tancy paperwork, and chenille, lambs

wool and silk embroidery." (Virginia Herald, 6 Sept. 181 S.)

HOUGH, Ameliai' Waterford. Loudon County. 1811.

(Bolton and Coe, American Samplers, Boston, 1921, 208.)

Sampler, Mary Ann Phillips, 1811.

HUDSON, Mrs., Fredericksburg. r88.

"Boarding School . . . TAMBOUR. EMBROIDERY, and all kinds oL\EEDLE-WORKr (Virginia

Herald, 27 Mir. 1788.)

HUGHES, Frances T.,/?/t-/.)wo«rf. 1809. 1815. 181'.

"School . . . needle work." (Enquirer, 7 Feb. 1809.) "Academy . . . equal to those of the most

respectable and flourishing Academies at the North . . . Needle-Work." (Daily Compiler and

Richmond Commercial Register, 26 Sept. 1817, 29 Sept, 1817)

"MRS. HURST'S SCHOOL," Frederick County 18(12.

Sampler, Peggy Castleman, 1802.

JEFFRIES, Mrs., Richmond. FW.

"All kinds of needlework." (Virginia Gazette and General Advertiser 2^ Aug. 1799.)

JETT, Mrs., Cnlpeper County 1813.

"SCHOOL . . , Flowered Needle work . . r (\'irginia Herald. 16 Oct, 1813.)

JOHNSON, Mrs., Norfolk, after r5().

"1 was sent to a Mrs. Johnson ... she taught me needlework and marking on the sampler." (Ring,
"For Persons of Fortune Who Have Taste," ./o;/n;rt/ of Early Southern Decorative Arts, 3, Nov
1977 1-23.)

JONES, Mrs., Fredericksburg. r8<)(J'rom Europe).

"Boarding School . . . TAMBOUR. EMBROIDERY, plain and coloured NEEDLE WORK.' (Vir-
ginia Herald: and Fredericksburg Advertiser 10 Sept. r89.)

LACOMBE, Mrs , Norfolk. 1801.

"Day School . , , Plain Work. .Marking. Tambour and Embroidery:' (Norfolk Herald. 16 Apr.

1801.)

LAWRENCE, Mary^ Waterford. Loudon County 1811.

(Bolton and Coe, American Samplers.)

Sampler, Amy Ann Phillips, 1811.

LAWRENCEVILLE ACADEMY/ Mrs. BOBBIT, Brunswick County 1820.

"Together with Embroidery." (Petersburg Republican. 13 Oct. 1820.)

November, 1990 83

LEE, Mrs., Alexandria, 1797.

"Academy . . . Fancy Work." (Alexandria Advertiser, 28 Sept. 1797.)

LEFTWICH, Betsy, Tazewell County, 1815.

"Mount Prospect Female Academy . . . Needle-work, including Embroidery." (Lynchburg Press,

27 July 1815.)

LEPETIT, Lucy, Richmond, 1787.

"SCHOOL . . . needle work." {Virginia Independent Chronicle, 25 July 1787.)

LORAIN, Mrs., Bollinghrook, Dinwiddle County 1806.

"SCHOOL . . . embroidery, tambouring, and needle-work in general." (Republican, 11 Dec.

1806.)

LUNT, Betsey, Alexandria, 1798.

"School . . . Plain Needle Work, Fancy Work and Drawing." (Times and Alexandria Advertiser,

24 Feb. 1798.)

LYNCHBURG FEMALE ACADEMY/ THE PRYORS, Lynchburg. 1814.

"Needle work in its various branches. Embroidery Pin Work." (Lynchburg Press, 15 Sept. 1814.)

See Sarah Pryor.

MACDONALD, Mary, Petersburg; Bland/ord. Dinwiddle County 1808. 1816.
"SCHOOL . . . Tamboring and different kinds of Needle Work." (Petersburg Intelligencer, 7 Oct.
1808.) "Mary Mc'Donald and Mary Worsham . . . opening a school . . . plain sewing, marking,
tambouring, and different kinds of needlework." (Republican, 16 Jan. 1816.)

MANCHESTER FEMALE ACADEMY Manchester, 1809-

"Elegant Needle-Work . . . taught by Miss Chandler, who was brought up and educated by

Mrs. O'Reilly." Mr O'Reilly teaches English in this .school. (Enquirer, 7 Feb., 27 Oct. 1809.)

MASON, Marian, Alexandria. 1803.

"Night school where . . . teaches needlework." (MESDA Research Files.)

MCDONALD, Mary, Fredericksburg, 1805.

"Boarding School . . . Tambouring with different kinds of Needle work " (Virginia Herald,

12 Mar. 1805.)

MERRITT Eliza, Brunswick County 1798.

"Different kinds of Needle work." (Virginia Gazette, and Petersburg Intelligencer, 16 Mar.

1798.)

MITCHELL, Miss, Isle of Wight County 1815.

"School . . . Needle-Work." (American Beacon and Commercial Diary, 26 Oct. 1815.)

MOFFIT, Sarah, Norfolk, n88(Jrom Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Portsmouth).
"SCHOOL MISTRESS . . . Plain work, marking, sprigging . . . true Dresden and Catgut . . . shad-
ing with silk or worsted; fire and window screens, table covers, chair bottoms, pocket books
and samplers." (Norfolk and Portsmouth Journal, 23 July 1788.)

MONTAGUE, Lucy M., Probably Hanover and Caroline counties. 1835-48.
Also known as Miss Lucy Mary Quisenberry
Sampler, Sarah E. Reynolds, 1848.

MORRIS, Richard, Richmond. 1784-85 (from London).

"EMBROIDERER, TAMBOUR WORKER, AND PATTERN DRAWER ... to instruct YOUNG
LADIES in the above-mentioned." (Virginia Gazette, -4 Sept. US-i and Virginia Gazette or the
American Advertiser, 10 Sept. 1785)

MORRIS, Mrs./ STEVENSBURG ACADEMY, Culpeper County 1808.
"Tambouring, and Embroidery." (Virginia Herald, 30 Nov. 1808.)

MORRIS, Mrs., Staunton, 1815.

"Late Miss Nixon . . . Needle-work." (Virginia Argus, 2 Dec. 1815.)

84 MESDA

MOUNT PROSPECT FEMALE ACADEMY, Tazewell Cvunty. 1^15.

See Betsy Leftwich.

MUIR, Rev. )3mes, Ale.xaruirici. r9()-9J.

"Opening an Academy ... a person shall be engaged capable of teaching the branches peculiar

to the Female Education," (Virginia Gazette and Alexandria Advertiser, S Aug. 1790, 10 Mar.

1791.)

Silk on linen, Mary Muir?, 1817

NEILL, Mrs., Williamsburg. r~b-^~ (from Gloucester County).

"Boarding School . . . Tambours, and other kinds of Needle Work." (Virginia Gazette, 20 Dec.

I"6and4july 1777.)

NORRIS, Ann, A';>/^ George County. 1824.
Sampler, Martha Smith, 1824,

OAK GROVE ACADEMY', Smithfield. Isle of Wight County 1836-54.
See Julia Hayden.

O'REILLY, Mrs., Alexandria. l8()~t-5 (from Baltimore).

"Embroidery in chenilles, gold, silver . , . comprising figures, historical and ornamental, land-
scapes, cloth work in fruit, birds." Baltimore Evening Post: Mercantile Daily Advertiser, 4 Apr
1805.) "sudden illness has prevented the commencement of Mrs. O'Riley's ladies Academy , . ,
where will be taught maps wrought in silks." (Alexandria Advertiser and Commercial Intel-
ligencer, 20 Nov 1804 and Alexandria Daily Advertiser, 1 Jan. 1805.)
See Mrs. O'Reilly in Richmond and Petersburg.

O'REILLY, Mrs., Richmond. 1805.

"ACADEMY . . . embroidery in chenilles, gold, silver . . , maps, wrought in silks . . , cloth work
. . filagree . . . shell work . , , artificial flowers, tambour and dresden, cross stitch, tent stitch,
tapestry" (Virginia Gazette and General Advertiser, 20 Nov 1805,)
See O'Reilly in Alexandria and Petersburg, Manchester Female Academy and Miss Chandler,

O'REILLY, Mrs,, Petersburg, 1813, 1818,

"Academy , , , elegant and useful embroidery viz: Embroidery in cheniles, gold, silver ..ar-
tificial flowers, tambouring." (Petersburg Intelligencer, 4 Feb. 1814.) "School . . . useful, elegant
and ornamental Needle work," (Petersburg Republican, 'J Aug, 1818)
See O'Reilly in Richmond and Alexandria,

ORGAN, Mrs. Pamela, Petersburg, 1817.

"SCHOOL MISTRESS . . . Plain and Fancy Needlework.' (Petersburg Republican, ^ Aug. 1818.)

OWENS, Mr. and Mrs., Lynchburg, n d

"There she studies , . . and other lady-like arts." (Amelia H. Scott, Tales o] the Terrells, and

Louise A. Blunt, Sketches and Recollections of Lynchburg )

PAGAUD, Mrs. Alice, Norfolk. 1806-20.

"Tutoress . . . Needle Work of every description." (Norfolk Gazette and Puhlick Ledger, 1 Aug
1806.) "Seminary for Children oihoth sexes . . . Needlework^ (American Beacon and Commer-
cial Diary, 2'' Dec. 1815.) "School, Sampler Work . . . plain & fancy Needle-work , , Train up
a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.' " (American
Beacon and Norfolk & Portsmouth Daily Advertiser. 6 Oct. 1819.) "Mr. & Mrs. SWINDELLS
, . . with Mrs. ALICE PAGAUD . . . BOARDING and DAY SCHOOL . . . Plain and Fancy Needle-
Work . . . Sampler Work . . . Deeming it necessary that females should be familiarly acquaint-
ed with the use of the Needle in all the above variety of work, a portion of every day will be
devoted to this part of their improvement." (Ibid., 14 Dec. 1819.) "Boarding and Day School!'
(Ibid., 27 Apr. 1820.)

PERDUE, Mildred C, Petersburg. 1819-

"SCHOOL . . , plain and embroidery works," (Petersburg Republican. 29 Jan, 1819)

November, 1990 85

PETERSBURG FEMALE ACADEMY, Petersburg. 1819-20.

"[Jonathan Smith] engaged Miss A. BOSWORTH . . . various branches of education usually
taught in female seminaries . . . plain and ornamental needle work." (Ibid., 24 Dec. 1819.)
"(Jonathan Smith) engaged MISS ANNE CLARK." (Ibid., 29 Dec. 1820.)

PEERCE, Mrs., Charles Toivn. 1813-
"Needle work." (MESDA Research Files.)

PETRICOLAS, Mrs., Richmond. 1805.

"Artificial flowers and Plain sewing." (MESDA Research Files.)

PIERCE, Mrs., iVor/o/yfe. 1''96.

"Embroidery School . . . EMBROIDERY and TAMBOUR . . . DRESDEN." (Norfolk Herald,

30 June 1796.)

"PINEGROVE SCHOOL?" Charles City County. 1809-
(Bolton and Coe, American Samplers.)
Sampler, Tullania Evans, 1809.

PRYOR, Sarah (with husband John), Lynchburg. 1814.

"School . . . needle work embroidery &c." (Lynchburg Press, 5 May 1814.)

See Lynchburg Female Academy

QUISENBERRY, Miss Lucy Mary Probably Caroline and Hanover counties. 1835.
Also known as Lucy M. Montague.
Sampler, Mildred B. Chewning, 1835.

RAMSAY N., Fairfax County. 1767.

"Binding Cloe Stephens, an orphan age 13 to N[omy] Ramsay to learn needle work and Man-

tue Making." (Fairfax Parish and Alexandria City Vestry Book 1765-1843, Fairfax County)

RENAULT, Julia, Richmond. 1815.

"School . . . Plain Sewing." (Virginia Argus, 5 Aug. 1815.)

REYNOLDS, Mrs. John (Hannah), Portsmouth, 1807.

"Plain Sewing and Sampler Work; Working of Muslin . . . Tambour, Embroidery, and Point

Work." (Norfolk Gazette and Public Ledger, 9 Jan. 1807.)

RICARDO, Mrs. R. J., Norfolk. 1811 (from Charleston).

"SCHOOL . . . Embroidery, Drawing ... all kinds of Needle Work." (Norfolk Herald, 8 May

1811.)

RICHMOND ACADEMY/ ANNA BYRD, Richmond. 1807.
"Needle-work." (Enquirer, 29 Jan. 1807)

RILEY, Miss, Loudon County 1818.

Miss Ellzey opens school for young ladies, with assistance of Miss Riley "a young lady of very

polished manners" in needlework. (MESDA Research Files.)

ROBBINS, Miss, Richmond. 1802 (from London).

"Boarding School . . . with every useful and polite accomplishment. Particular care will be paid

to their morals." (Virginia Gazette and General Advertiser 24 July 1802.)

RUDD, Mrs. Hannah, Dinwiddle County 1819-20.

"Female School . . . needle work, and plain and ornamental." (Petersburg Republican. 30 Nov

1819 and Petersburg Intelligencer, 25 Jan. 1820.)

RUSSELL, Mrs., Norfolk. 1820 (from Dublin).

"Engaged to attend Mrs. Barron's Seminary . . . Rug and Worsted Work , . . Embroidery on
Satin and Muslin, on a plan entirely new, not before introduced into this Borough." (Norfolk
Herald. 23 Oct. 1820. and American Beacon and Norfolk & Portsmouth Daily Advertiser, 24
Oct. 1820.) "Mrs. Barron and Mrs. Russell having united their Establishments . . . Worsted and
Rug Work, Embroidery Fancy Work . . . Sampler Work and Plain Sewing." (Ibid., 28 Dec. 1820.)

86 MESDA

RYAN, Frances, Fnulcrickshiirii. ISOI.

"School . . . Plain Sewing Work and Marking." (Courier, 3 Nov, IHdI.)

SCHWARTZ, Mi.s,s Frcdcrica, Martiiishiirg. IH.U.

"Will open a ,sewing school . . . teach all kinds of Plain aiul ( )rnanicntal Sewing, Floss and Face

Work" {Marliushiirg Gazette, 27 Feb. Wt-i.)

SEWELL, Mrs., Norfolk. 1818-1').

"Useful and ornamental branches of learning . . . Needlework." (American Beacon and Nor-
folk & Portsmouth Daily Advertiser, 29 Dec. 1818) "Needlework." (Ibid., HJan. 1H19.)

SIMSON, Mrs., Alexandria. r93 (from New York. Charleston, and Philadelphia).
"SCHOOL . . . teaching all kind of needlework in silk and worsted, crowning darning and plain
work. Tambour and embroidery . . . she designs the work and executes the drawing " (Colum-
bian Mirror and Alexandria Gazette, 2-4 July U9^.}

125. Simson, Mrs. Richmond, P94 (from Philadelphia)

"BOARDING SCHOOL ... all kinds of needle work . . . shading and taste in the arrangement

o( p'Merns." (Virginia Gazette and General Adrertiser. P Dec. P'-'-i )

See Mrs. Simson in Alexandria.

SIMSON, Mrs., Fredericksburg. P') 5 (from Philadelphia).

"BOARDING SCHOOL . . . al kinds of needle work . . . shading and taste in the arrangement

of patterns." (Virginia Herald & Fredericksburg Advertiser, 8 May 1795.)

See Simson in Alexandria.

ST CATHERINE'S SCHOOL, Richmond, nineteenth century.
See Miss Jennie Ellett.

SKETCHLEY, Mr. and Mrs., Alexandria. 1811 (from New York).

"Plain and ornamental needle work," (Alexandria Daily Gazette. IHU.)

SKETCHLEY, Mr. and Mrs., Belfield. Greensville County 1811 (from Warrenton. N. C ).
"Academy . . . Young Ladies ... to be instructed in Plain Sewing, Marking, Muslin Work, Em-
broidery Print and Point Work." (Norfolk Gazette and Puhlick Ledger 18 Oct. 1811.)

SMITH, Christian, Alexandria. r86.

"School . . . maybe taught needle work." (Virginia founuil and Ale.xanilria .\dvertiser. 23 Mar.

1786.)

SMITH, Christian, Alexandria. r86 (from Charleston).

"School . . . may be taught needle work," (Virginia fournal. and Alexandria Advertiser 23

Mar. 1786.)

SMITH, Maria, Winchester r88.

"SCHOOL . . . TAMBOUR, DRESDEN EMBROIDERING." (Virginia Centinel. or the Winchester

Mercury, 28 M^y 1788.)

SMITH, Mary Ann, iVor/"o//b. Gc}sport. 18r.

"School . . . Plain and Ornamental Ncedlc-VC'ork." (American Beacon and Commercial Diary,

2"^ Oct. I8P.)

STEVENSBURG ACADEMY Culpeper County 1808.
See Mrs. Morris.

STILLMAN, Miss Mary, S(nithampton County. Isle of Wight County, nineteenth century.^
(Dashiell, Smithfield. A Pictorial History.)

STURDIVANT, Frances W., Petersburg. n97.

"SCHOOL . . . TAMBOUR and EMBROIDERY . . . furnished with any kind of drawing on silk,
muslin, or any kind of stuffs, agreeable to any pattern they chuse." (Virginia Gazette & Peters-
burg Intelligencer, 2\ Feb. 1797)

SWINDELLS, Mr. and Mrs., Norfolk. 1819.

"With Mrs. ALICE PAQUAD . BOARDING and DAY SCHOOL Plain and Fancy Needle

Work." (American Beacon and Norfolk & Portsmouth Daily .-idvertiser 1-4 Dec. 1819.)

November, 1990 87

SWINDELLS, James H., Norfolk, 1820.

"FEMALE SEMINARY engagement with a Young Lady in New York . . . Fillagree. Embroidery

. . . useful and ornamental Needle Work!' (Ibid., 20 Apr. 1820.)

"C. M. T. TEACHER," Wheeling, West Virginia, 1831.
Sampler, Ellen Caulifield, 1831.

TARPLEY, Eliza C, Petersburg, 1805.

"SCHOOL . . . Needlework in all its various branches. ' (Republican, 2 Apr 1805.)

TENNENT, Mrs., iVor/o/;fe, 1796.

"To enable her to teach from the most approved methods, as in Britain, she has procured . . .
a large and genera! Assortment of STAMPS, of the most fashionable patterns." (Norfolk Herald,
21 July 1796.)

TENNENT, Mrs., Alexandria. 1795.

"School . . . embroidery, tambouring, open and needle work, flowering, sewing, marking."

(Alexandria Advertiser, 28 Sept. 1797.)

TERREL, Miss/ MOUNT AIRY SCHOOL HOUSE, Caroline County, 1811.

"FEMALE EDUCATION . . . under the direction of Miss Terrel," (Virginia Argus, 21 Oct. 1811.)

TOMPKINS, Mary Elliot? Essex County 1823-25.

Sampler, Martha Ann Waring, 1823-25.

TURNER, Nancy I., Bedford County 1814.

"FEMALE education:' (Lynchburg Press, 19 May 1814.)

VICTOR, Maria, Lynchburg, 1815.

"Needle work . . . school." (Ibid., 9 Mar. 1815.)

WADE, Mrs., Port Royal, 1817 (from Maryland).
Academy . . . Plain and Ornamental Needle-Work and Embroidery." (Virginia Herald, 11 Sept.

1817)

WALKER, Mrs., Williamsburg, r 52 (from London).

"All kinds of Needle Work." (Virginia Gazette, 17 Nov 1752.)

WALKER, Mrs., Fredericksburg, l''9-i.

"BOARDING SCHOOL . . . Embroidery and Tambouring . . . Whitework, Diaper and Muslin

Ditmn^y (Virginia Herald, and Fredericksburg Advertiser, 16 Oct. 1794.)

WALLACE, Eliza, Norfolk, 1796-97.

"SCHOOL . . . Tambouring and Sattin ^brk ... All kinds of Lady's Fancy Patterns drawn fit

for Working." (Norfolk Herald & Public Advertiser, 28 Aug. 1797)

WHITE, Mrs. Samson, Smithfield. 1826-54.
See Julia Benham Hayden.

WILBER, Miss Mary Alexandria, 1811.

"School . . . Plain & Ornamental Needle-Work, Embroidery Netting." (Alexandria Daily

Gazette, 9 MuT. 1811.)

WINTER, Mr and Mrs., Alexandria, 1820.

"School . . . Young MISSES will . . . become complete sempstresses." (Alexandria Herald, 6

Sept. 1820.)

WLERICH, Mrs., Lynchburg. 1820.

"BOARDING & DAY SCHOOL . . . Embroidery . . . Muslin work . . . plain work with marking."

(Lynchburg Press, 1 Apr 1820.)

WOODSON, Mrs., Nottotvay County 1802.

"Taught by Mrs. Woodson."

Sampler, Mary Elizabeth Portress Doswell, 1802.

MESDA

WORSHAM, Mary, Blandford. 1816.

"Mary McDonald and Mary Worsham . , . opening a school . . . plain sewing, marking, tambour

ing, and different i<inds of needle work." (/?£>/)« Wzt-rt«, 16 Jan. 1816.)

WRIGHT, Miss, Fredericksburg, 1772 (from England).

"Boarding School DRESDEN, TENTWORK, SHELLWORK, and all kinds NEEDLEWORK "

(Virginia Gazette, 27 Feb. 1772.)

Norfolk. r~3 (from the Vies! Indies and Newport.^).

"Mrs. HUGHES'S Daughter proposes teaching young Ladies TAMBOUR WORK," (Ibid, 16 Dec.

1773 and Ring, Let Virtue Be a Guide to Thee.)

Richmond. n''6 (from Norfolk).

"Mrs. Wheatley's daughter also proposes opening a BOARDING SCHOOL . . . different kinds

of needle work; the tambour worked and taught." (Virginia Gazette. 20 Ian. 1776.)

Richmond. 1785.

"A YOUNG LADY instructing . NEEDLEWORK" (Virginia Gazette or the American
Advertiser, 12 November PSS.)

Richmond area. n86.

"A BOARDING SCHOOL . The Girls on Saturdays will be taught plain Needle Work, and the
Duties incumbent on Mistresses of Families. No other Difference will be made between the
Education of Boys and Girls, except the Girls will not be taught Mathematics. . . . Samuel Cole-
man." (Virginia Independent Chronicle. 18 Oct. 1786.)
Richmond, 1801.

"BOARDING SCHOOL FOR Young Ladies ... by a Lady the wife of a Clergyman of the Epis-
copal Church . . . Plain Work, Embroidery Dresden and every Fashionable accomplishment of
this description . . . every possible attention will be paid to the morals of their children." (Vir-
ginia Gazette and General Advertiser, 19 May 1801.)
Culpeper County. 1808

"Female Academy . [Tom Elliott] shall open . . useful and ornamental Needle work." (Vir-
ginia Herald, U Dec. 1808.)

Portsmouth, 1837

"For her affectionate teacher."

Sampler, E. Lee, 1837

APPENDIX 3

SELECTED VERSES FROM VIRGINIA SCHOOLGIRL EMBROIDERIES
On Death.

Verse 1. West Point area. r42:

And I heard a voice from heaven saying

unto me write, blessed are the dead which

die in the Lord from henceforth;

Yea saith the spirit that they may

rest from their labours & their works do follow them.

— RcNclatlons l-i:13
Verse 2. Probably Stafford County, r<J3:
Here Innocence and Beauty lie whose Breath
Was snatch'd by early not untimely Death.
Hence did they go just as they did begin
Sorrow to know, before they knew to sin.
Death, that does Sin and Sorrow thus prevent.
Is the next Blessing to a Life well Spent.

November, 1990 89

Verse 3- Probably Stafford County, 1795:
Her Name shall live and yield a sweet Perfume,
And (tho in Dust) her Memory shall bloom.
Tho' I deplore my Loss and wish it Less,
Yet will I kiss the Rod and acquiesce.

Verse 4. Shenandoah County. 1802:

And am I born to die, to lay this body down

And must my trembling spirit fly into a world

unknown

Verse 5. Richmond', 1812.

One evening in December last, the six & twentieth day,

the people that with joyful taste, did go to see a play

While in the midst of joy & mirth, the house it caught on fire.

Hundreds enveloped in flames, and many did expire.

May theatres be done away from off this earthly shore.

The houses put to better use, and plays be seen no more.

Verse 6. Norfolk. 1812. 1825

Disease and pain invade our health

And find an easy prey

And Oft when least expected, wealth

Takes Wings and flies away

The gourds from which we look for fruit

Produce us only pain,

A worm unseen attacks the root

And all our hopes are vain.

Verse 7. Prince William County. 1815:
Before the turf or tomb
Covers me from mortal eye
Spirit of instruction come
Make me learn that I must die.

Verse 8. Essex County, 1823-25:

Let sorrow for her early doom

No more in silence sigh

For hope which points beyond the tomb

Bids every tear be dry

Verse 9- Farmville. 1824:

Attend poor mortal grief no more

No more lament thy dear departed friends.

Their souls are wafted to a happier shore.

Where every sorrow ends.

Verse 10. Augusta County. 1828:

A Tear

The only gift I can bestow

On a fond brothers love

Torn from each others arms below

May we both meet above

It is our fate let us submit

No helping hand is near

Alas all help comes now too late

Adieu accept a tear.

90 MESDA

Verse 11. Wheeling, 18M:
This work in hand my friends may have
When I am dead and in my grave
And when my work each time you see
With fond remembrance think of me,

\'erse 12 Richmond Omiity. c ISJ5.
Teach me to live that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed
Teach me to live that so I may
Rise glorious at the awful day

Verse 13- Middlesex County. 1836:
May all those

Whose names are recorded here
Their dear Redeemer love
And may they all to him be near
And dwell in Heaven above

Verse N. Clark County. 1840-50:
Their is my house and portion fair.
My treasure and heart are there,
and my abiding home
For me my elder brethren stay
and angels beckon me away
and Jesus bids me come.

Verse 15- Middlesex County. 1844:

A heap of dust

Alone remains of thee

Tis all thou art

And all that we shall be.

On Youth.

Verse 16. Amelici County. 1806:
Fairest flower all flowers excelling
Which in Miltons page we see
Flowers of eves imbowerd dwelling
Are my fair one types of thee.
Mark my Polly how the roses
Emulate thy damask cheek
How the bud its sweets discloses
Buds thy opening [see] bloom bespeak.
Lillies are by Plain direction
Emblems of a double kind
Emblems of thy fair complexion
Emblems of thy fairer mind
But dear girl both flowers and beautv
Blossom fade and die away
Then pursue good sense and duty
Evergreens which neer decay!

November, 1990 91

Verse 17. Hanover County, 1819:

When snow descends and robes the Fields

In Winters bright array

Touched by the Sun the Lustre fades

And weeps itself away

When Spring appears when Violets blow

And shed a rich Perfume

How soon the Fragrance breathes its last

How short lived is the Bloom.

Such are the Charms that flush the Cheek

And Sparkle in the Eye

So from the lovely finish & form

The transient Graces fly

To the Seasons as they roll

Their attestation bring

They warn the Fair ev(r)y Round

Confirms the Truth 1 sing.

Verse 18. Essex County, 1823-25:
When we devote our youth to god
Tis pleasing in his eyes
A flower that's offer'd in the bud
Is no vain sacrifice.

Verse 19. Richmond, 1828:
O who will buy my roses
They are fading like my youth
But never like these posies shall
Wither Flora's truth.

Verse 20. Chesterfield County 1833:

On Youth

Fragrant the Rose is, but it fades in time,
The Violet sweet, but quickly past the prime,
White lillies hang their heads, and soon decay
And whiter snow in minutes melts away
Such and [so] withering [are our early joys]
Which Time and (sickness] (s]peedily destroy

Verse 21. Spotsylvania County 1834:
Remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth.

On Time.

Verse 22. Amelia County, 1806:
Improvement of time
Defer not till tomorrow to
Be wise . . . never rise
Tomorrows seen to thee may

On Home and Family

Verse 23. Isle of Wight County 1761:
Sellah Fulgham is my name
Virginia is my nation
the [Isle of] White my dwelling place
and Christ my salvation.

92 MESDA

Verse 24. Norfolk, c. 1828:
The daughter who loves her home
will take a lively interest in all
its concerns and be solicitous to
promote the happiness of the little
circle of which she forms a part.

On Duty,

Verse 2 "i. Xorfolk. c 1828:

\X'e should prefer our duty to our pleasure.

On Truth.

Verse 26. Norfolk. 1828:

Truth is the brightest ornament of vouth

On \'irtue,

\'erse 2~. Fairfax County. n^6:

Ode to Virtue

Virtue soft Balm of every Woe

of every (grief) the cure

Tis thou alone that canst best bestow

(Pl]ea[surjes unmi(xe]d [and] pure.

Verse 28. Williamsburg. r9l:

Oh Heavenly Virtue Thine A Sacred Flame

And Still My Soul Pays Homage To Thy Name.

Verse 29. Ricbmoud. early unieteenlh century:

On \'irtue

Virtue's the chiefest Beauty of the Mind
The noblest Ornament of human Kind
Virtue's our Safe guard and our guiding Star
That stirs up Reason when our Senses err.
Verse 30. Isle of Wight County. 1829:
1 sigh not for beauty nor languish for wealth
But grant me, kind providence virtue and health
Then richer than kings and as happy as they
My days shall pass sweetly and swifth' awav

On Nature.

Verse 31 Harrisonburg. 1834:

Near Avons banks a cultured spot.

With many a tuft of flow'rs adorned

Was once an aged shepherd's cott.

Who scenes of greater splendour [sc]orned.

Verse 32. Richmond. 183^:
To A Redbreast
Little bird with bosom red
Welcome to my humble shed
Daily near my table steal
While 1 pick(?] my scanty meal
Doubt not little though there be
But 111 cast a crust to thee
Well rewarded if 1 (s|py
Pleasure in the glanoring eye

November, 1990 93

see thee when thoust eat thy full
Plume thy breast and wipe thy bill
Come my feathered friend again
Well thou knowest the broken Pane.

On Friendship.

Verse 33. Amelia County, 1806:
When fortune sits smiling
What crouds will appear
Their friendship to offer
And wishes sincere.
Change but the prospect
And point out distress
No longer to court you
They eagerly press.

Verse 34. Loudoun County. 1812.

O friendship thou (missing) this weaver of life

Kind creator of each and composer of strife

With little [missing) wealth and power

But empty delusions the loss of an hour

How much to be prized and esteemed is a friend

On whom we may always with safety depend

Our joys when extended will always increase

And griefs when divided are hushed into peace.

On Idleness.

Verse 35. Spotslyvania County 1834:
Idleness brings forward and nourishes
many bad things.

On Love.

Verse 36. Prob. Rockbridge County, c. 1802:

Palemon and Lavinia

Then throw that shameful pittance from thy hand

But ill applied to such a rugged task:

The field, the master, all my fair, are thine,

Hear ceas'd the youth, yet still his speaking eyes

Express'd the sacred triumph of his soul

Nor waited he reply, won by the charms

Of goodness irresistible, and all

In sweet disorder lost — she blush'd content.

— James Thomson, The Seasons, from lines 177-310.

On Religious and Moralistic Thoughts.

Verse 37. West Point area. 1742:

Favour is deceitful and beauty is vaine

But a woman that feareth the Lord she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands and let her own

works praise her in the gates.

— Proverbs 31:30-31

94 MESDA

Verse 38. W'illiamshiirg. c. f'X).
While Youthful Splendour Lightened In My Eyes
Clear As The Smiling Glory Of The Skies
Sprinkled With Radiant Gold A Purple Hue
My ^X■ings Displayed My Robe Celestial Blue
More White Than Flax My Curling Tresses Flowed
My Dimpled Cheeks With Rosy Beauty Glowed.

Verse 39. Richmond. ISOO:

No flocks that range the vally free

To slaughter 1 condemn

Taught by the power that pities me

I learn to pity them

Then turn to night and Freely share

What er my cell bestows

My rushy couch and frugal fare

My blessings and repose.

Verse -lO. Norfolk, early nineteenth century:
Remember that the faithful dove
when biden from the ark to Rome
was guidede by a God of love
and the peaceful olive home.

Verse 41. Nansemond County, 1808. Alexandria. 1809:

Do you my Fair Endeavour to possess

An elegance of mind/ As well as dress

Be that your ornament and know to please

By graceful natures unaffected ease.

\erse -iJ. Richmond. 1812 or 18r:

There cometh a woman of Samaria,

to draw water: Jesus saith unto her,

'Give me a drink.' Then saith the woman

of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou,

being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a

woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the

Samaritans.

— John 4:~. 4

Verse 43- Nelson County 1813;

Prince William County 1815: Shepherdstmrn. 1822;

Isle of Wight County 183-i:

Jesus permit thy gracious name to stand

As the first efforts of an infants hand

And while her fingers o'er this canvaas move

Engage her tender heart to seek thy love.

With thy dear children let her share a part

And write thy name thy.self upon her heart.
— English Notes and Queries. 18"! ,
says that this was composed by the
Rev John Newton for the sampler of his niece,
Miss Elizabeth Catlett,

\'erse -i-j Northampton County. 181':

If 1 am right thy grace impart

Still in the right to stay

If 1 am wrong O teach my heart

To find that better wav

November, 1990 95

Verse 45. Prob. Hanover County, 1817 and proh. Caroline County. 1835:

Religion is the ciiief concern

Of mortals here below

May I its great importance learn

Its sovereign virtue known

Religion should our thoughts engage

Amidst our youthful bloom,

Twill fit us for declining age

And for the awful tomb.

More needful this, than glittering wealth,

Or aught the world bestows,

Not reputation, food, or health.

Can give us such repose.

Verse 46. Alexandria, 1818:

Religion

Tis religion that can give
Sweetest pleasures while we live
Tis religion must supply
Solid comfort when we die
After death its joys will be
Lasting as eternity
Let me then make God my friend
And on all his ways attend.

Verse 47. Alexandria, 1818:

How cheerful along the gay mead

The daisy and cowslip appear

the flocks as they carelessly feed

Rejoice in the spring of the year

The lord who such wonders could raise

And still can destroy with a nod

My lips shall incessantly praise

My soul shall be wrapp[e]d in my god.

Verse 48. Lexington, 1819; Loudoun County 1828: Middlesex County 1836:

Teach me to feel another's woe

To hide the fault 1 see

That mercy 1 to others show

That mercy show to me.

While some in Folly's Pleasures roll.

And seek the joys that hurt the soul.

Be mine that silent calm repast

A Peaceful conscience to the last.

Lord when our raptured thous[ands]

survey Creations beauties oer

All nature forms to teach thy peace

And bid our souls adore.

— Alexander Pope, "The Universal Prayer"

Verse 49. Norfolk, c. 1820:
Unshaken as the sacred hill;
And firm as mountains be:
Firm as a rock the soul shall rest
That leans, O Lord, on thee.
Engrav'd as in eternal brass,

96 MESDA

The mighty promise shines:

Nor can the pow'rs of darkness raze

Those everlasting lines.

\irse 50, Kingdearge Coioily. IS2~f:
O child most dear incline thine ear
And hearken to God's voice.
His counsel take for he doth make
His children to rejoice.

Verse 51. Richmond. 1826:

Oft pining cares in rich brocades are drest

And dainions glitter on an anxious brest.

\erse 52. Richmond. 1828.

Agur's Prayer

Remove far from me vanity and lies

give me neither poverty nor riches

feed me with food convenient for me

lest I be full and deny thee

and say who is the Lord

Or lest I be poor and steal and take

the name of my God in vain

Verse 53- Norfolk. 1828:

Retired from the bustle of life,

In a near little cot of my own;

A stranger to trouble and strife,

With a friend all my wishes to crown;

How calm and contented I'd live:

Ah! sweetly my moments would flow —

The best of stores would I give

To relieve the poor suffer — er's wo.

Verse 5-^. Lexington. 1833:

Twill save us from a thousand snares

To mind religion young

It will preserve our following years

And make our virtue strong.

Verse 55. Portsmouth. 183^:

The Golden mean

He that holds fast the golden mean

And lives contentedly between

The little and the great

Feels not the wants that pinch the poor

Nor plaques that haunt the rich mans door

Imbitt'ringall his taste

The tallest pines feel most the pow'r

Of wint'ry blast; the loftiest tow'r

Falls heaviest to the ground

The bolts that spare the mountain side

His cloud capt eminence divide

And .spread the ruin round

Present blessing undervalue[e|.

— From Horace's Ode, "Moderation"

November, 1990 97

Verse 56. New Market, 1844:
He that hath made his refuge
God shall find a most secure abode
Shall walk all day beneath his shade
And there at night shall
rest his head.

Verse 57. New Market. 1844:

Thou sweet gliding kedron by thy silver streams

Our Saviour at midnight when moonlights pale beam

Shone bright on the waters would frequently stray

And lost in thy murmurs the toils of the day

O garden of Olivet thou dear honourd spot

The fame of thy wonder shall neer be forgot

The theme most transporting to seraphs above

The triumph of sorrow the triumph of love.

Verse 58. Prob. Orange County. 1848:

Let deep repentance faith, and love

Be join'd with godly fear;

And all my conversation prove

My heart to be sincere

Let lively hope my soul inspire

Let warm affections rise;

And may I wait with strong desire

to mount above the skies.

The author would like to thank the staff of the Museum of Early
Southern Decorative Arts and the Department of Collections at
Colonial Williamsburg for their gracious assistance with this
project. A special acknowledgement is extended to Dywana Saun-
ders who first introduced me to Virginia schoolgirl embroideries
and Linda Baumgarten who provided moral and academic sup-
port throughout this endeavor

Kim Smith is the Assistant Curator of Textiles in the Department
of Collections at Colonial Williamsburg and a former MESDA
Summer Institute student.

98 MESDA

FOOTNOTES

1. Albert Cook Myers, ed., Sully \\"isli'rsJ(>itnuil{\'h\hLk\ph\A, 19()J), 1S9.

2. Anne Blair to Mrs. Mary Braxton, 21 Aug. 1769, Blair, Banister, Braxton, Horner, Whiting
Papers, 39. 1 B58, Manuscripts and Rare Books Dept., Earl Swem Library, College of William
and Mary, Williamsburg, Va. A "tucker" was a form of neck handkerchief.

3. Conversation with Arlington Hou.se, July 1989. Martha's sampler is in the collection of
Arlington House, the Robert E. Lee Memorial, National Park Service. Martha worked her
family record sampler in silk cross and Algerian eye stitches on a linen ground while she
was living at Chatham in Stafford County It measures 22 " X 21 " and records the marriage
of her parents and births and deaths of siblings. For illustrations of the sampler, see Can-
dace Wheeler, The Development of Embroidery in America (New York, 1921), S2a, and
Gloria Seaman Allen, Family Record: Genealogical W'atercolors and Needlework (Washing-
ton, D. C, 1989), 90.

4. "Queries," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography -^ (189"): -tb''-8.

5. Paula B, Ricter, Registrar, Essex Institute, to the author, 21 July 1989.

6. At the present time 1 have located 190 samplers and needlework pictures that appear to be
Virginia work. Of the 190 embroideries, I am confident that 127 are Virginia pieces because
of the Virginia names and locations that are worked on them, genealogical research, and
their identical relationship to other proven Virginia pieces. Based on their formats, styles,
techniques, or oral histories, the other 63 embroideries appear to be Virginia work, but
more research is still needed to document them definitely

'' . I hope that this introduction to Virginia needlework will arouse the curiosity of other
scholars and provide a basis for future research and identification of Virginia embroideries.

8. Betty Ring, Let Virtue Be a Guide to Thee: Needlework in the Education of Rhode Island
Women. /"JO/SJO (Providence, R. 1., 1983), 24-S.

9. Ibid, 23-4.

10. Ibid, 31-2.

11. Ibid, 36-^.

1 2 . Edwin Morris Betts and James Adam Bear, Jr, eds. , The Eamily Letters of Thomas Jefferson.
(Charlottesville, Va., 1986), 3^.

13. William K. Bottorff and Roy C. Flannagan, eds., "The Diary of Frances Baylor Hill of Hills-
borough,' " Early American Literature Neii'sletter, special ed., 2 (Winter 196"); 22-3. 2S,
30, S3.

1-4. Norfolk Gazette and Public Ledger, 19 Aug. 180" , information courtesy Patricia A. Gibbs.

15. For further information about girls' education, see Ring, Let Virtue Be a Guide to Thee, and
Susan Swan, Plain and Fancy. American Women and Their Needlework (New York. 1977).

16. Lecture by Betty Ring. Antiques Forum. Williamsburg, \'a., Feb. 19,SS.

P. Williamsburg Virginia Gazette. 1" Nov r^2. Williamsburg Mrginia Gazette (Dixon and
Hunter), 20 Dec. r''6.

18. Ring, Let Virtue Be a Guide to Thee. 36-"

19. In April 1990 Betty Ring described what is general belief: "There are no recognizable
groups of eighteenth-century embroideries from the South, and no more than six groups
from the nineteenth century, with four of those from Maryland." "Documents of Educa-
tion: Samplers and Silk Embroideries from the Collection of Betty Ring," exhibit label,
Museum of American Folk Art, New York, 21 April-24 June 1990. The Virginia .samplers I
have grouped are in addition to those groups she has identified. See also the catalog that
accompanied the exhibit, Betty Ring, American Needlework Treasures: Samplers and Silk
Embroideries from the Collection of Betty RingCSicv,- York, 19S"), 5(1.

November, 1990 99

20. This attention to furniture construction techniques includes the use of dust boards, com-
posite block feet, and finished backsides. For further discussion of Virginia furniture, see
Wallace B. Gusler, Furniture of Williamsburg and Eastern Virginia, 7770-/790 (Richmond,
Va., 1979).

2 1 . For good descriptions and illustrations of needlework stitches, see Pamela Clabburn, The
Needleworker's Dictionary, (London, 1976).

22. It should be mentioned here that the square format with decorative borders on all four
sides was popular throughout England and the United States in the nineteenth century. Of
special note is the appearance in many Virginia pieces of birds and half-open hou.se
windows.

23 . Mary did not include where she lived on her sampler. However, family tradition attributes
it to the West Point area, and the birth of a Mary Johnson in 1730 has been located in the
register of St. Peter's Parish, New^ Kent County

24. Clabburn, Needleworker's Dictionary, 35. It is a seven-step stitch achieved by taking the
needle back to the first hole after making the first diagonal stitch, putting the needle in at
the center and out at the bottom right, and then taking the .second diagonal. To complete
the cross stitch on the back, the needle must be brought out at the bottom right, which po-
sitions the needle for the next cross stitch. I have been told that it takes an experienced
needleworker ten minutes to work just one letter using this stitch. The seven-step cross
stitch is seen consistently in Virginia needlework.

25. Ethel Stanwood Bolton and Eva Johnston Coe, American Samplers (Boston. 1921), 53, 332.
I am particularly interested in locating this piece of needlework. Any information would
be most welcome.

26. Clabburn, The Needleworker's Dictionary, 56.

27. Frances Norton Mason, e<i.,Jobn Norton & Sons Merchants of London and Virginia:
Being the Papers from their Counting House for the )ears 1750 to 1795 (Richmond, Va.,
1937), 258.

28. Alexandria Daily Gazette, 6 Mar. 1810.

29. For further discu.ssion on changes in family life reflected in needlework, see Allen, Fami-
ly Record.

30. For further information on the Cofer and Delk samplers, see Charlotte M. Emans, 'An Anal-
ysis of The Elizabeth M. Cofer Sampler Dated 1834," research report. Department of Col-
lections, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Williamsburg, Va.

31 . There was at least one copy of James Thomson's The Seasons in Williamsburg in 1752,
three by 1764, and it was advertised in the Virginia Gazette during the years 1768-76. In-
formation courtesy of John Ingram.

32. For further information on Elizabeth's needlework picture, see Betty Ring, "For Persons of
Fortune Who Have Taste: An Elegant Schoolgirl Embroidery, "/o//r«fl/ of Early Southern
Decorative Arts }i {Nov. 1977): 1-23.

33. Virginia Gazette. (Purdie), 21 Mar. 1766.

34. Ring, "For Persons of Fortune Who Have Taste, " 2.

35. For further discussion of needlework patterns, see Margaret Swain, Figures on Fabric: Em-
broidery Design Sources and Their Application (London, 1980).

36. Norfolk Herald, 21 July 1796.

37. Richmond Virginia Independent Chronicle (Richmond, 'Va.), 18 Oct. 1786.

38. For further discission of Quaker schools, see Betty Ring, "Samplers and Pictorial Needle-
work at the Chester County Historical Society," Antiques 126 (Dec. 1984): 1422-33.

39. For further information on the Lexington Female Academy .see William W. Pusey 111, Elu-
sive Aspiration: The History of the Female Academy in Lexington. Virginia (Lexington,
Va., 1983).

100 MESDA

-40. For example, the following verse has been documented on a Hanover County sampler and
a Nova Scotia sampler:
When snow descends, and robes the fields
in winters bright array
Touched by the sun the lustre fade
And weeps itself away

When Springs appears — when violets blow
And shed a rich perfume
How soon the fragrance breathes its last
How short lived is the bloom.

41, lf.xic Witts'^ Diririe Songs for Chikin'ii was offered for sale in the Virginia Ahucincic for
the years P44-(iS. Information courtesy of John Ingram,

42. Averil Colby, Samplers (London. IWh), 210,

-t.S, Eliza Woodrow's small sampler of about 1S()8 is illustrated and discu.s.sed m Klisabeth Don-
aghy Garrett, 'American Samplers and Needlework Pictures in the DAR Museum," Aiiln/ues
105 (Feb, 1974): 356-6-4

November, 1990 101

MESDA seeks manuscripts which treat virtually any facet of southern decorative
art for publication in the JOURNAL. The MESDA staff would also like to
examine any pnvately-held primary research material {documents and manu-
scripts) from the South, and southern newspapers published in 1820 and earlier.

Some back issues of the journal
are available.

The preparation of xht Journal ^2& made possible (in part) by a grant from
the Research Tools and Reference Works Program of the National Endowment
for the Humanities, an independent Federal Agency.

Photographs in this issue by the staff of the Museum of Early Southern
Decorative Arts except where noted.

102 MESDA

MUSEUM OF EARLY SOUTHERN DECORATIVE ARTS

Forsyth Alexander, Editor I Acting Director of Publications

Nancy Bean, Office Manager

Ruth Brooks, Associate in Education

Sally Gant, Director of Education and Special Events

Paula Hooper, Coordinator of Membership Services

Frank L. HORTON, Director Emeritus

MadELYN MOELLER, Director

Bradford Rauschenberg, Director of Research
Martha Rowe, Research Associate
Wesley Stewart, Photographer
Margaret Vincent, Collections Manager

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